Family Portrait
by liar.faker
Summary: Caroline is raising a human boy in New York and she keeps it secret. She promised she'll keep Benjamin safe. She promised he'll lead a normal life. The very thought of Klaus finding them strikes terror in her heart. Why is that boy so important?
1. Something is going to fall like rain

**A/N:** This is the story that came to my mind out of the blue. It won't be long - more or less 5 chapters, unless I find some other ideas or sub-plots to include in the main plot. This chapter is shorter because it's more like a prologue.

It is my attempt at writing something more dramatic. See how I fail miserably ;)

(Guess what? If you leave me a review, karma will reward you. Let me know what you think.)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Something is going to fall like rain**

* * *

Her heart is barely beating.

"Promise me you'll take care of Ben."

"I promise."

"Please, don't let them find him."

"I promise."

When her heart stops, hot tears roll down Caroline's cheek.

I'm sorry for your loss.

She was a good girl.

He's been through so much in his life.

Poor kids. So young.

I'm taking Benjamin with me to New York.

We'll be watching over you, don't worry Care.

You two are safe.

* * *

**But do not imagine we do not know**

**Nor that what you hide with such care won't show**

** At a glance. **

**Nothing is done, nothing is said,**

**But don't make the mistake of believing us dead:**

** I shouldn't dance.**

* * *

Benjamin reminds her of his father's kindness and good nature. He has also his mother's innate sense of good and evil that always astounds Caroline. He has his father's eyes, blue but in no way cold. He has his mother's hair, dark chocolate brown. Unruly hair like his occasional unruly behavior. He is a good boy but he tends to be so stubborn sometimes. Like his mom used to be.

But when he smiles he looks so much like his father. He has the most warm, sweet smile in the whole world. Caroline knows this because she loved his father once, too.

She was glad when Benjamin's parents got together. They were her best friends, they had been through so much together, and as humans they could have led a long, happy life. They were about to get married but Benjamin's birth made them put the wedding off for the time being. There was no need to rush things, after all. Klaus was gone, the danger was gone, the Originals went MIA, too. Caroline felt safe with Tyler and didn't even thought that in the world full of supernatural beings a completely human tragedy can still happen.

Yet, the car crash happened. It's ironic how history repeats itself. The Wickery Bridge, ominous and threatening, eventually took away the life it hadn't taken years before. And Ben's dad was the collateral damage.

* * *

Caroline is sitting on the balcony of her pretty decent condo in New York, looking at the setting sun, with a glass of wine in one hand. Benjamin is sleeping peacefully after another busy Saturday in the park. They both love spending time there, Ben enjoys playing outdoors and getting some fresh air, while the green all around her reminds Caroline of the woods in Mystic Falls.

Mystic Falls.

How long has it been? Ten years or so. Last year Ben blew off nine candles, this year he'll have one more to put out. Ten peaceful years in New York. Ten sad anniversaries of his parents' death.

"Did you know them well?" He asks one day.

"Yes, they were my best friends," she answers, fighting to keep a tear from falling.

She wants to be more like an older sister to him, but he needs a mother figure, and after a long inner debate she assumes the role, hoping his mother has nothing against it wherever she is now.

Caroline loves Ben more than anything in the world. That's why Tyler leaves her.

"I can't do this, Caroline, I tried so hard, but I can't." He says.

"Don't make me choose." Her hand wriggles out of his.

Tyler remains silent for a moment, then he leaves the apartment without a word. He never returns.

"You're the prettiest girl in the world," Ben hugs her when he finds her crying in the kitchen, "don't worry. You'll find a prince you deserve." That moment a six-year-old boy seems so grown up and serious.

"I already have one," she winks at the boy with her eyes still puffy from crying, then regains her composure.

She decides not to fall in love again.

And she keeps her promise since then.

* * *

Never in her life has Caroline Forbes thought she would be raising a kid on her own. Many things have changed since she took Ben in her arms and left Mystic Falls. She has learned to value Ben's interest over her blonde vampire self.

Ten years of changing diapers, teaching him how to walk on his own, playing with him in a sandbox, teaching him how to read, telling him funny stories about his parents, watching cartoons, cheering him up on his first day at school, comforting him when he's sad, encouraging him to make friends.

But also it's been ten years of learning how to manage her blood thirst around him, and ten years of seclusion. She knows other mothers from the park and the playground of course, but she doesn't have real friends in NY. Without Tyler and their tiresome on-and-off relationship, she's all alone.

Thanks to the Salvatores she's got the money to raise Ben without having to work.

It's only her and Ben, and a metropolis that ensures them anonymity they need. The privacy she needs for Ben's sake.

Caroline takes a slow sip from the glass when her phone rings.

"Stefan? Hey." She smiles. The Salvatores take care of Benjamin like it was their own flesh and blood. This is what love and sentiment for Ben's mother does to them. Ben likes uncle Stefan and uncle Damon, although he doesn't see them often. It's too risky. Caroline doesn't want to tell him about the vampire thing for now, it would be too soon for the kid. One day he'll know. Hopefully he understands. Hopefully he forgives them.

"Caroline, how are you two?" Stefan's voice sounds concerned.

"Good. Ben's doing an amazing job at school. What's up?"

"I don't know how to break it to you — " He starts but soon enough Damon cuts in,

"— Klaus woke up from his beauty sleep and he's out of his coffin and he knows about the crash!" Caroline hears Damon's nervous voice.

Time stops. She freezes. The phone almost falls down on the floor.

It's impossible. It's as unrealistic as Caroline dyeing her hair black.

Out of question.

Her heart sinks.

"Caroline? Are you still there?" Stefan pushes Damon away and she hears a loud sound of a body hitting a wall, _Son of a__—__!_

"Yes." No.

"Listen, he's furious about the doppelganger bloodline ending, he doesn't know about... you know what. Everything's under control."

Caroline lets out a breath she doesn't even know she's been holding off.

"Thank God."

"You should lead the life you've been leading so far, don't let the paranoia get you, ok?"

She likes the caring Stefan. Damon handles everything roughly, in the extreme manner, while Stefan soothes the pain and steadies her nerves.

"I just wanted to warn you. And remember, if anything happens, we'll be in the Big Apple before you could blink."

"Thanks." She sighs.

But she isn't feeling any better, though. He's back, probably seeking revenge, and Caroline hopes against all odds that he won't hurt the brothers.

Not only is she worried about them and Benjamin, she's also worried about herself. Something is telling her — it's basically screaming at her — that Caroline's absence in Mystic Falls won't go unnoticed. She'd better hide the sketch that still hangs in her bedroom.

* * *

**The sky is darkening like a stain,**

**Something is going to fall like rain**

** And it won't be flowers.**

— **W.H. Auden**


	2. You shall love your crooked neighbour

**A/N: **Wow, guys. Just... WOW. Thanks to your **inspiring** reviews I have already one more chapter than I planned. The story develops further than I thought.

You'll learn more about Ben today because I didn't want to disclose everything about him and his parents in one chapter. So those who want to know more about Elena and Matt will be satisfied (at least I hope so.)

Inspire me more. You know you want to. Share your thoughts. Spill it. I'm a bit afraid, though.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**You shall love your crooked neighbour**

* * *

A week of paranoia and sleepless nights passes and nothing happens. Nothing at all. No life threats, no drama, no Klauses to fight off.

The blonde is finally able to sleep more or less peacefully. The last few nights resulted restless and fretful.

Every night she looks at the drawing he gave her. She hung it on her mirror as a reminder that she should always watch over Ben for the Originals are still out there.

The plan the gang concocted so many years before - the one Caroline regarded as unnecessary - turned out to be the most important, the crucial thing they've ever done. As much as she hates Katherine, Caroline is now extremely grateful to that bitch. In fact, she's forever indebted to the woman that killed her.

A week of insecurity and mental torture passes and Caroline feels safe again.

* * *

Caroline remembers Katherine's face when they tell her Elena's pregnant.

"You idiot." She spits.

"It's your descendant as well." Damon growls. He reminds her that she made the same mistake long time ago.

"Fine. But you all owe me big time."

Nobody wants Katherine back in Mystic Falls, but they need her help. People can't know about Elena's pregnancy. Although Caroline finds Elena's fear exaggerated, the Salvatores also think it would be better to resort to isolation as a precautionary measure. Just in case. The Originals are still out there.

So the elaborate plan has been hatched.

Elena disappears for a few months along with Stefan who is supposed to take care of her while Katherine plays Matt's girlfriend in public. One morning Matt is greeted with a newborn baby on his porch and the residents of Mystic Falls hear a heart-gripping story about one night stand turned pregnancy and Matt being a single parent. Elena takes her own place again, puts on a brave face and Mystic Falls hears another moving story about how Elena swallows her pride and takes care of Matt's little boy. _What an amazing girl, raises him like her own son! What a heart!_

This is the story of Benjamin Donovan.

The only story that can exist without hurting anybody.

"There's no need to rush things," Elena repeats when people ask her about the wedding date. They were going to get married but then Benjamin _happened_, and she just needs some time to think about her future. Their future.

She never tells Caroline what happened between her and Stefan while they were away, waiting for the baby to come. Stefan never mentions it as well. But to Caroline it's obvious - something has made Elena waver in her decision. Caroline never tells Matt, either. Life silently goes on.

Matt Donovan and Elena Gilbert die in a car crash on the Wickery Bridge when Ben is two years old. Matt dies on the spot, Elena makes it to the hospital. After all that happened in their lives, their friends think Elena will always make it. Yet, this time she doesn't. She manages to entrust Ben to Caroline's care, and then she's gone. Caroline holds Elena's hand for an hour or so. She doesn't want to let her go. Damon and Stefan drag her home without saying a word.

This is the more than complicated story of Benjamin Donovan, the cursed carrier of the doppelganger gene.

* * *

Ben throws a frisbee and claps his hands when Caroline gracefully catches it. Sundays in their favourite park may seem boring to other people, still they really enjoy their weekend picnics. Especially in the springtime when the nature blooms. It's their way of escaping the concrete jungle even if only for a few hours.

Caroline throws a flying disc with too much strength (with Ben she often forgets that she's a vampire) and it hits a tree, bounces off, and falls down many meters away. So much for her part in the Olympics this year...

"Damn!"

"I'll get it!" Ben shouts and runs past the infamous tree Caroline's blaming for her epic failure. The boy snatches the disc and starts running back to Caroline. He doesn't notice a sharp stone protruding from the ground and to Caroline's horror he trips and falls down—

"Ben!" Caroline sees from the distance that his head almost hits the hard ground...

—when somebody catches the kid and helps him regain his balance. She dashes to the place trying not to draw too much attention since they are in a public place, not a vampire-friendly one.

She hugs Benjamin tightly, "You gave me a heart attack!" and looks up to thank the man that has helped him.

"Be careful boy, you don't want to get hurt," she hears the man say and she stiffened at the sound of his voice. That accent. She slowly raises her eyes to meet his gaze, afraid of what she's about to see.

"Caroline." He stutters, obviously as surprised as the blonde, except his astonishment is more positive whereas her heart skips a beat and sinks like Titanic. She can't even choke out a word. It's like the whole world stopped and decided to spin in the other direction.

After a long moment of silence, Ben mutters, "Care, I can't breathe." Then she remembers that she's in fact still keeping Ben in a tight embrace.

"Oh God!" She releases him and gets up to her feet. What now? Panic! Panic! S.O.S! Houston, we have a problem!

"Thank you for your help." She mumbles taking Ben's hand and dragging him away.

"Caroline!" He calls after her. She stops, with her back turned to him, and squeezes her eyes, trying to get herself together. She sighs with resignation and turns to Klaus.

"What are you doing here?" She snaps.

"I could ask you the same." The sly smile playing on his lips drives Caroline crazy. She could just smash his head—

"I am looking for Kol actually," he goes on, "but finding you here is a wonderful surprise." She rolls her eyes at the hidden compliment. Or is it? Being better than Kol doesn't really count as one...

"It's nice to see you again." He says quietly. Caroline just purses her lips.

"Who's that boy?" He asks suddenly and she feels her body tense instantly. "What's your name, young man?" He smiles at Ben, and before Caroline can say anything, Ben replies,

"Ben Donovan, sir."

"Donovan?" Klaus knits his eyebrows and his eyes wander from the boy to the blonde woman standing in front of him, worried and shaking.

"The orphan Matt left when he died? Interesting." Klaus' eyes scanned Ben's face.

"Yes. Indeed." Caroline pouts and her grip on Ben's hand gets stronger. "Now, if your curiosity is satisfied, we'll get going."

"Is this all you have to say after so many years, Caroline?" He smirks.

"How shall I put it?" She scoffs. "Well, um, yes, that's all. Bye."

She wants to move, but he grabs her free hand, preventing her from stepping away from him.

"I've missed you." He looks into her eyes with all the eye-sex power he possesses and Caroline's stomach lurches, churns and twists. Ben's observing how Caroline almost loses her balance for a second, but then she straightens up with dignity and her eyes turn cold.

"Touching."

Caroline mentally slaps herself on the face for the lamest retort of the year, and starts to wriggle her hand out of his grasp. Klaus loosens his grip on her and she almost falls down, stumbling.

What a nerve!

How dare he. Sneaky freak.

A raindrop falls on her forehead shaking her out of a daze.

"Ben, we have to go." She rushes towards the exit, taking Ben with her.

"See you soon, then!" Klaus grins at her and winks at Ben who keeps turning back and staring at him in awe.

"You wish." She mutters. Klaus is still smiling as he watches them go away and hears Ben asking, _is this your ex-boyfriend?_

The telephone in his pocket buzzes.

"What? No. Cancel that reservation. I think I'll stay here for a while."

* * *

"I'm afraid he'll stay here for a while." Caroline whines, keeping her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she is stirring hot coffee in a mug that has "The bestest best mom" written on it. Ben gave it to her when he was seven.

It always makes her smile, although it's not her who should be holding this mug right now.

"Don't panic, Blondie, unless you want him to suspect something. If we come, he'll definitely do." Damon says pouring himself a glass of scotch.

"But what if he's after me?"

"Just reject him as always. He's used to it."

"Damon..." she hesitated. "Did he do something to you or Stefan after he woke up?"

"He must have been still sleepwalking or daydreaming because he just asked about Elena, then went on the blind rampage, but strangely enough, we were left alive and untouched." The older Salvatore muses. "I always thought he just needed a good nap to stop being that grumpy serial killer. Or maybe he developed a weird, twisted kind of crush on us, the invincible Salvatores."

That makes Caroline chuckle but it doesn't chase away her nervousness.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Live your life.

"Easy to say." She grits her teeth.

"He'll give up... sooner or later." There he goes: Damon, the master of comforting the others in the face of a danger caused by a psychotic evil hybrid. He should definitely be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

"I don't want to wait till later."

"If he gets too pesky and attacks you romantically with a bunch of roses and a serenade, use some delaying tactics. You'll be fine."

"Sure. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." Caroline sneers and hung up.

* * *

A noise coming from the building's corridor disrupts Caroline's sleep on Monday morning. It's still too early to wake Ben up, so she tiptoes to the door and peeps outside. She sees men carrying sets of heavy of boxes into an apartment at the opposite end of the hall. New neighbors? She shrugs and is about to close the door when she notices an enormous painting two men are holding.

What she sees later almost makes her faint.

Klaus is standing next to the painting. He turns his gaze towards Caroline and one corner of his mouth goes up viciously.

"You. Creepy. Bastard." Caroline half-whispers half-spits while she struggles not to fall to the floor. Not when he's looking, at least.

* * *

It's just a matter of time before he comes and knocks at her door.

And when he does it, she's prepared. In her most ugly brownish green tracksuit pants hanging low on her hips — making her look like a gangsta bitch — and with her dirty hair tied up in a messy bun, she's _prepared_.

She opens the door with a belligerent look on her face. Win or die.

"Good morning, Caroline." He says just like that, wearing a gray t-shirt, a pair of dark jeans, and a smug grin, too.

"Is it?" She scoffs and crosses her arms. "What do you want?"

"No need to be rude, love. I just want to borrow a cup of sugar." And he really just wants to borrow a cup of sugar. She brings it to him, and he leaves her standing in the doorway, feeling like an idiot. However, he's back an hour later when she's not a warrior princess anymore ("I'm returning the cup.") and then he's in for a little chit-chat. Talk about mood swings.

You know, we neighbours should get to know each other better, he sings, the annoying grin still plastered on his stubble-covered face. She doesn't invite him in. They talk standing in the corridor.

"So, why him?" He asks.

"Isn't it obvious?" She says flatly.

"You tie yourself to a human boy just because he's your friend's son?"

"Ben is now my family. Speaking of which, shouldn't you be looking for your own?"

Caroline sees it in his eyes. She sees longing and sadness, but she won't let her emotions toy with her reason. Not now.

"Maybe I am."

His eyes drill into her. She shivers.

"Why are you stalking me, Klaus? Is this your sweet revenge?"

He seems genuinely baffled. "Why should I get my revenge on you?"

"You tell me. Elena's gone, that means no more hybrid-making for you. I guess the word 'irritated' is too weak to describe how you feel."

He looks at her, examining her face, then leans forward and his hot breath tickles her neck as he whispers slowly to her ear,

"Do you really want to know how I feel, Caroline?"

Her breathing quickens. Her hands shake.

Her body's getting warmer. She thinks she has a fever. Is this hot lava flowing in her veins?

It takes all her courage to slam the door shut bravely right in his face.

Then she slides to the floor and closes her eyes.

_Damn you._

* * *

Ben comes home from school hungry and tired, and Caroline needs to get a can of tuna from the shop downstairs to make their favourite salad, so she leaves him alone for a moment.

That's her first mistake.

When she's back home, she finds Klaus sitting on the couch in her living room, in the middle of what seems like a gripping story he's telling Ben, and the boy looks at him with big, shiny eyes. With admiration. Completely lost in the story. Klaus stops, still smiling, and looks at Caroline.

The can of tuna she bought lands on the beige fluffy carpet.

"Caroline! Did you know Klaus has been to Egypt? He's seen the pyramids and the Pharaoh's tomb!" She's so stunned she can barely choke out a word. Again.

"Fantastic."

"He's a smart boy. We should take him to the Brooklyn Museum, you know. He might like the _Egypt Reborn_ exhibition." Klaus says it so naturally that she's about to respond, "Of course, honey, let's go on a family outing next week," when she snaps out of it and shoots Klaus a scolding look. But there's a toothy grin on Ben's face that tells Caroline she's lost this battle.

"_WE_ should take him? What do you think you're doing?" Caroline hisses right after Ben goes — reluctantly, dragging his feet — back to his room.

"Making friends?" He smiles sweetly to her. It makes her blood boil.

"Listen," she grabs his shirt and forcefully yanks him up from the couch. He's even more taken aback when she bares her fangs at him. "You can torture me all you want, okay? But leave the innocent boy alone. He's too good to have you in his life."

After such a bold move she expects him to throw her against the wall and kick in the ribs. Yet, he just takes her hands and gently get them off his shirt.

He's still holding them when he says, "Maybe I just want to spoil him a little, sweetheart."

Now it's her turn to raise her eyebrows. What the hell? Caroline's cheeks are burning.

"You can't just pop out of nowhere and mess with his head!"

That's her second mistake.

He smirks wickedly. "Watch me."

And Caroline is left once again with a bated breath, with her mouth wide open, and with a chaos in her mind that costs her another sleepless night.

* * *

**O stand, stand at the window**

**As the tears scald and start;**

**You shall love your crooked neighbour**

**With your crooked heart.**

**- W.H. Auden**


	3. The hunter's waking thoughts

**A/N: **I'll let you guys in on a little secret – reading your reviews is my **guilty** **pleasure**. Like, seriously. I hope there's a whole world of reviews out there waiting for me.

Here we go, I hope you'll like this chapter.

(Don't be shy, love, share your thoughts, inspire me, let me in on your little secret too.)

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**The hunter's waking thoughts**

* * *

Klaus creeps into their life slyly and imperceptibly.

Like a boa constrictor.

Caroline feels like being slowly strangled. She's suffocating every time she sees him with Ben, but the boy seems so happy having Klaus by his side that she just can't do this to him. Every night she's planning on having a serious conversation with Ben and telling him not to hang with the hybrid anymore, and every day she's speechless when she sees Ben's smiling face.

She desperately wants him to be happy. But she needs to keep him safe.

One night when Ben is sitting in his bed before falling asleep, Caroline knocks lightly on his bedroom door. She sneaks in and sits on the edge of his small bed.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." Her voice trembles and she can't hide her nervousness.

"What's wrong?" Ben asks, already slightly worried.

"Um, listen. I know you like Klaus, but I want you to stay away from him."

"But why?" Oh God, this disappointed look on his face...

"Because... It's just... He..." She stutters like a small girl in the principal's office.

"He likes you."

Damn.

"I know, Ben. But _I _don't like _him_."

"He's cool."

"He's a bad guy." Caroline chokes out wishing that he would understand.

"No." Ben sulks. "He's a good guy. And he likes you."

Great, now she has to deal not only with Klaus-suitor but also with Klaus-a-cool-guy. And good guys don't get rejected.

"He's coming tomorrow for dinner." Ben says and hides under the covers what means the discussion is over.

_You're so Elena right now_, Caroline mutters and leaves his room.

* * *

He's watching Klaus, he follows him, he's staying close but tries to lie low for the time being.

_Klaus, you idiot. Still after the blonde. Really. You just popped out of the coffin, you dirty old man._

_And on top of that - a kid! Klaus the family man. How sweet._

_Excuse me while I go throw up, I'll be back in a minute to punch you in the face. _

* * *

Klaus tells stories. Ben laughs or sits gaping at the guest because gosh! these stories! Caroline's in a sulk since morning. She sees that Klaus glances at her but she won't give him this satisfaction. She can handle him. Or so she thinks.

When she's washing the dishes, the boys are flicking TV channels.

Wait. Did she just think, the boys? Geez, maybe she's really going crazy.

"Caroline! Come and play 'guess who' with us!" Ben calls, with a small sticky note already glued to his forehead. It says 'Spiderman.' She looks at his happy face, then at Klaus' stupid grin, so she needs to take another look at the elated boy to keep her nerves at bay. She ends up with a yellow sticky note Klaus puts on her forehead and both her companions are laughing wickedly at her.

"Ok. Am I a fictional character?"

"Yes." They nod.

"Am I a Disney character?"

"Yes."

Ha! They are so predictable.

"Am I a princess?" She grins.

"No." Klaus snickers. She pouts. The game continues. Many questions later Ben wins guessing he's the one and only Spiderman.

Klaus is still pondering which doesn't surprise Caroline as she's the one who glues the note saying 'the Beast' on his forehead. She doesn't know why Ben is laughing so hard.

She has problems with guessing who she is, too. She tries all the Disney heroines and even takes a shot at the Evil Queen and Ursula. All in vain.

"Am I a prince?" Klaus asks and Caroline nods, but sticks her tongue out.

"Am I a naughty prince?" He grins playfully. Ben laughs.

"Am I ugly and repulsive?"

"Yes!" Caroline grimaces with a firm conviction.

"Do I have fangs?"

"YES." She snaps.

"Do I talk to furniture and clever candlesticks?"

"Yes!" Ben is rolling on the floor, cackling.

"Am I the Beast?"

"Yes!" Caroline and Ben shout in unison, but when Klaus bursts out laughing she's got a feeling that he and Ben are hiding something significant. The hybrid laughs heartily while Ben almost _chokes_ with laughter.

"Okay, I give up." She can no longer take it so she tears the note off her forehead and reads it aloud.

"Beauty."

Klaus stares at her knowingly. She wants the ground to swallow her.

* * *

**Happy the hare at morning, for she cannot read**

**The hunter's waking thoughts.**

**- W.H. Auden**

* * *

One Friday evening she passes through the living room after taking a shower and she discovers Ben and Klaus playing Xbox games. The boy is laughing out loud accompanied by Klaus' frequent bursts of laughter.

"Did you seriously buy him the Xbox?" Caroline growls forgetting that she's wearing just a bathroom towel wrapped around her still wet body. Klaus smiles innocently looking so boyish in a black t-shirt with Batman's symbol on it.

"Don't be angry, love. I thought it would be fun."

Caroline crosses her arms and pouts.

"A few days ago you two had fun watching the Batman Marathon. Yesterday you thought if would be fun to order a pizza. Don't you think it's too much?"

"But Care," Ben chimes in with a pleading tone, "we had so much fun!"

This is the problem. They have so much fun. Lately she's been seeing Klaus more often than she used to when he was living in Mystic Falls. Ben is growing attached to the hybrid and Caroline feels helpless.

When she tries to talk to the boy, Ben adamantly claims that Caroline is wrong. In such moments he reminds her of Elena's blind obstinacy when it came to Elijah.

Caroline can only roll her eyes and hide in her bedroom to slip into her black silky pajamas.

"Ben, it's late. You should be sleeping right now." She states when she re-enters the room. They are still playing, not paying attention to her at all.

"Ben!"

"I'm going!" The boy jumps from his seat and dashes to his bedroom, saying 'goodnight' to Klaus on his way.

The vampires move to kitchen because the blonde insists they should talk. They look at each other, both wearing black, and Klaus grins. His grin soon falters when Caroline gives him a piece of her mind.

"I want you to stop being a regular guest in my apartment."

"Why, the boy seems to enjoy my company. You should try it, too." He winks at her.

"It only demonstrates how weak kids are." She retorts, getting more and more angry. "You're like a dratted fly that keeps me awake with its constant buzzing."

Klaus is about to make comment about the other ways to keep her awake, but he bites his tongue.

"What's your game?" She asks, with her blue eyes focused on his face. His mouth curl into a light smile.

"Maybe there's no game at all, love."

She snorts. "Come on. You always have a plan. What is it this time? To use Ben's friendship to spite me? To stir him up so he would rebel against me? What is it, Klaus?" Her voice drips venom. She sees she has struck him with those harsh words. He shakes his head and turns to leave.

"See you tomorrow in the park, Caroline." The door shuts and he's gone.

This time Caroline wants the ground to swallow _him_.

* * *

**My face looks like a wedding cake left out in the rain.**

**- W.H. Auden**

* * *

Unfortunately, the ground doesn't do Caroline's bidding as Klaus appears in the park a few minutes after Caroline and Ben do. The boy is playing with the others, giving Caroline some time to relax on the blanket and enjoy the sun. The latter becomes a tad bit difficult when a tall figure blocks the sun, casting a long shadow over her. Of course it's her troublesome neighbour.

Saturday greets them with warm and sunny weather, light wind blows from time to time, and people are swarming in the park like it's high summer. Klaus feasts his eyes on her pistachio-green summer dress, the low neckline revealing the delicate skin of her breasts. He would ravish her right on the spot if he only could. But no, he needs more time to gain her trust, and now he has a perfect tool to help him. Step by step. Fortune seems to favor him (finally!).

He sits down next to her, sprawling on the blanket. In a white long-sleeve cotton shirt and navy blue jeans he looks so carefree and harmless. Ben waves at Klaus vigorously and he answers with the same gesture.

"Looks like he's having fun." Klaus muses, and when Caroline doesn't answer, he goes on, "He reminds me of my youngest brother and the times when we were still human."

"Kol?" Caroline can't hold back a smile when she imagines young human Kol playing happily in the woods. It's so... unrealistic.

"No. Henrik." Klaus' eyes darken for a second. He accidentally lets the thought slip out and now all he sees is Henrik bleeding on the wet mossy ground in the forest.

"I've never heard of him." The blonde mumbles more to herself than to him.

"He was more or less of Ben's age when he died... killed by a werewolf."

Caroline's confused eyes darted to his face. "What happened?"

"We went into the woods to see a pack transform. And he just..."

Klaus is staring blankly into space and Caroline knows he's re-living that memory. She admits she has never seen him like that. Never. Always strong, always confident, now he seems vulnerable and tormented. She can't take her eyes off him. He, on the other hand, avoids her gaze and lowers his head. She then understands he still blames himself for Henrik's death. Klaus having a conscience - that is so unexpected and baffling that Caroline needs a minute for this to sink in.

"I'm sorry." She whispers. What more can you say in moments like this? Her eyes follow Ben who's playing with his friend's dog.

"I don't know how it feels to lose a brother. I've never had any siblings. With gay father it's kinda hard." She says bitterly. "Stefan and Damon will always have each other. You still have your family. All I have is him." She nods towards the boy.

Klaus finally looks her in the eyes.

"You're doing a great job."

"Yeah," she chuckles, "especially being a single parent, following straight in my mom's footsteps. I'm doing a great job by creating another dysfunctional family."

She bites her lower lip, slipping into a pensive mood.

_Like mother, like daughter. _

A hand on her shoulder wakes her up. Caroline's eyes meet his intense stare.

"A father that hunts his children all over the world and a mother that even comes back from the grave to finish the job, _that's_ a dysfunctional family. _You_ are perfect."

Caroline's icy blues are trapped in his own. A minute passes but it feels like an hour while they are staring at each other. She is, however, the first one to shake out of the daze. Her eyes travel to his hand that is still placed on her shoulder. Klaus takes the hint, withdrawing it somewhat embarrassed – another unexpected side of him.

_Yes_, Caroline mentally slaps herself, _it's just getting awkward_. Most probably because she shivers when he touches her or even just brushes past her. She blames... well, it's time to confess it, she blames the lack of sex. It must be the reason. It's been years since she had some. Sometimes she feels as frustrated as an old crazy cat lady. Although she channels half of that energy into being a full-time guardian, in such situations her primal urges painfully come to the surface.

_It's not you, it's me_, she could tell Klaus, although it would mean something completely different than it usually does. _He would feel offended, that's for sure,_ she chuckles inwardly. (Not that it would matter to Caroline, it's just a thought. Right.)

Ben saves the day distracting Caroline and Klaus by finally coming to their place and coercing them into getting some ice cream.

Caroline is all for it. She needs something cold to cool her overactive hormones.

* * *

**I feel my heart ache, but I've forgotten what that feeling means.**

**- Chuck Palahniuk**


	4. Still waters run deep

**A/N: **Thanks to your response to the story, I've changed my plan a little. For now I have 7 chapters planned, but it's not finished and I've got a feeling that some additions to the plot will dawn on me and I'll get inspired. Soooo... you never know ;)

God, will I ever finish a story _according_ to the original _plan?_ No. My life is one big improvisation.

BTW, I haven't seen the finale yet (Europe, Europe, I love you, but seriously...) but I do know about Klaus/Tyler and um... I still have hope. I do have hope for Klaroline. This is also funny because some time ago I had the same idea for a story - Klaus in Tyler's body, but I thought_ that's too much cheezy body possession for one tv series_. And yet...

(Joseph, please come back. Be a good boy and come back for S4.)

* * *

**Chapter 4 **

**Still waters run deep**

* * *

**Over the tea-cups and in the square the tongue has its desire; **

**Still waters run deep, my dear, there's never smoke without fire.**

**- W.H. Auden**

* * *

On that Saturday night Caroline can't sleep. After he's said, _you are perfect_, she just can't sleep.

You are perfect. _You_ are perfect. You are _perfect_.

As much as she hates to admit it, he's growing on her like a bad habit. He just keeps coming back and every time she cares less about that tiny little detail — that is Klaus being an evil murderer. But without the wicked hybrid plan his ship seems to finally run aground. Has he gone softer? Can ten years in a coffin really do this to you?

* * *

**I like the city better when the**

**neon lights are going and**

**the nudies dance on top of the**

**bar**

**to the mauling music.**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Klaus loves to hunt on Saturday nights. He calls this peculiar custom of his the_ Saturday Night Fever._ (Yeah, Klaus has a very unique sense of humor.) Drunk people in flocks take to the streets.

He enjoys the hunt like he enjoys the kill. He likes to sink his teeth in a girl's neck right in the middle of a crowded dance floor, with lights flashing and music thundering in his ears. He likes to corner a haughty businessman — a man who thinks his wealth makes him immortal — in a dark alley and tear his throat apart. After sating his blood lust he usually comes home and gets down to sketching while listening to Tchaikovsky's _Sugar Plum Fairy_ from the Nutcracker Suite. Just like that.

As he's strolling along the street on his way home, blood still present on his chin, his hands itching to finally do some sketching, a shadow is silently following him, creeping in the dark corners.

* * *

**it seemed to me that I had never met**

**another person on earth**

**as discouraging to my happiness**

**as my father.**

**and it appeared that I had**

**the same effect upon**

**him.**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Days go by. Caroline wakes up on Thursday morning with her heart aching. Another year has passed.

She walks Ben to school, listening to his never-ending songs of praise for Klaus. After all this time Caroline doesn't want to deny it any longer: Ben sees the hybrid as a father figure and there's nothing she could do to change it. Maybe she should have stayed with the Salvatores, one of them would have eventually assumed the father's role. But a small town life wasn't enough for Caroline. It wasn't safe, too. And Ben deserves better.

After she leaves the school, she heads towards a nearby cemetery. Its still silence soothes her nerves. She remembers her grandma saying, _do not fear the dead as they rest in peace, you better fear the living._ Caroline wonders what would her grandma say if she saw her now, a living dead.

Every year on her father's death anniversary Caroline picks one unknown and abandoned grave, she sits down and lights a candle. As poor substitute for a family as it is, this makes Caroline feel a connection with the past.

The sun is shining delightfully and the cemetery is flooded with its rays that peek through the hanging branches of the weeping willows. It reminds her of Mystic Falls.

After an hour or maybe two — it's an incredible paradox how fast time passes in lifeless places like this — someone appears behind her and she's not even surprised. She got used to his jack-in-the-box-like sudden appearances.

"How often do you come here?" He asks, sitting next to her on a small bench. There's barely place for the two of them on it so they have to squeeze a little.

"Every year." She muses, straightening her long red gypsy-like skirt. With her curls falling loosely on her back and in a white tank top she really reminds him of a gypsy.

"Do you still grieve over him?" His question takes Caroline aback. How does he...?

"They say time cures all." She says finally. "But I wish we'd been getting along better than we were."

Klaus just nods. If there's anyone that she can now relate to, it's him.

"At least he didn't hate you till the very day he died."

"No, but he hated me long enough to make me question everything, my life included."

"Been there, done that." A bitter half-smile appears on Klaus' face.

They sit in silence for a while, each of them deep in thought. When she looks at her watch, she raises her eyebrows in surprise. It's almost noon.

She says she needs to pick Ben up from school. He says he'll tag along.

As they walk down the noisy streets, she can muster enough courage to talk with him about Ben one more time.

"Ben treats you like a father figure."

"I know."

"He's got attached to you."

"I don't mind."

"Klaus, he's just a boy. Have mercy on him." She almost begs him. "He doesn't deserve to be deceived like that." She hopes that maybe her pleading tone will work. It doesn't. Moreover, it rubs him up the wrong way. He stops abruptly giving her a yank. She falls back into his chest, then turns to face him.

"What are you—"

"Listen carefully to my words, Caroline, because I'm not going to repeat them." He stares at her, his expression tells her he's inwardly fuming with anger. "My siblings woke me up from the slumber _only_ to tell me they were leaving me _all_ _alone_ forever. If I am deceiving anyone, I'm deceiving myself into believing that I can have another family that won't abandon me."

With this words and a cold stare he stomps off not even taking a glance back at her.

* * *

**I am this fiery snail crawling home.**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Klaus is storming through the streets in such a rage he almost gets hit by a car — or rather the car almost gets hit by Klaus.

If it wasn't a bright day, he'd already suck dry any passer-by that turned up. Instead, he hits a wall with his right fist and licks the blood that gushes from the self-inflicted wound. So much for the anger management classes.

As he enters a narrow, dirty alley, his senses heighten and now he notices something that so far he's been treating as a pure illusion. Somebody has been definitely following him and now the stalker is getting closer and closer. Klaus stops, gathering all his strength. He closes his eyes for the moment. When he opens them, they are glistening yellow and his fangs protrude.

He turns around, launches forward and strikes.

A body hits the ground followed by his own, and they both roll around on the pavement. Finally Klaus gets on top of the stalker and he's just about to break his neck when he stops in astonishment.

A familiar face grins cockily at him from the ground.

"Hello, brother."

"Kol." He stutters. They both stand up and stare at each other. "I've been looking for you."

"I know, but I didn't want to be found." Kol smirks. "Anyways, I see you've settled for a single sexy momma."

"So what do you want now?" Klaus clenches his fists in a silent threatening gesture.

"Oh, I'm just passing through New York, don't worry. But I find it remarkably intriguing that you're after her and that boy."

The hybrid takes a step forward and grabs the vampire by the neck.

"Leave them alone, Kol, or I'll—"

"—tear out my liver, I know. Relax, darling." Kol doesn't seem to be especially scared. "Like I said, I don't care, I'm not staying here for long. But mark my words, brother, she's a sly little creature, and I _sooo_ want to see your face when you finally learn your lesson." He smirks looking boldly into Klaus' eyes, their noses almost touch.

And then Kol's gone, leaving his brother shaking with fury in the middle of the stinking alley.

He kicks the wall with so much force the plaster comes off.

* * *

**Being alone never felt right. Sometimes it felt good, but it never felt right. **

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Caroline resorts to cooking as the best form of stress relief. Today it's a lasagna day. Go tell Garfield.

She and Ben are sitting in their small kitchen, chewing on the food. He likes lasagna as much as Matt loved it, Caroline sighs. Matt would be a great father, she's sure of that. He would give Ben all the love he had in his heart. Matt would bring his son up to be a good person. A decent, loving, responsible man. The same as his father.

"Why are you so sad, Care?" Ben asks with his mouth full of lasagna.

"I'm not, sweetie." She creaks a light smile.

"Yes, you are. Did you have a fight with Klaus?" His blue penetrating eyes see right through Caroline. _How can he be so observant? Damn you, Matt Donovan, you and your 'I'm a good friend, I see everything' gene!_

She takes a deep breath and nods with resignation.

"I accused him of something he didn't do." She props her head on one hand.

"So you should apologize."

_Excuse me! Who is raising whom in this house?_ She rants inside her mind.

"If he likes you like I think he does, he'll forget about it right away." Ben grins at Caroline.

She shakes her head in disbelief.

"When did you get so smart, little boy?" She smiles teasingly.

"My Caroline has taught me."

Caroline feels her eyes water, and a lump forms in her throat.

Later that evening, when Ben's already safely tucked in under the covers, she sneaks out with a kitchenware full of lasagna.

It's the first time she knocks at Klaus' door. She's tentatively shifting her weight from foot to foot waiting for him to let her in. Finally, the door creaks open. He's obviously bewildered at the sight of her and she needs to clear her throat to make him get back to reality.

"Um." She started. "Hi." _Great, Caroline, great diplomatic skills. Woo-hoo!_

He's still staring at her with his deep blue eyes open as wide as his big, soft lips. Wait a minute, she scolds herself, she doesn't know whether they are soft or not.

"I'm here to, you know, apologize, for, you know, for what I said earlier." She chokes out and hands him the dish. "I made lasagna so we can bury the hatchet."

Klaus can't hold back a smile.

"You want me to bury a hatchet in the lasagna, love?" He mocks her with that boyish smile of his and Caroline finally gives up and lets out a laugh. "Yeah."

Klaus' face lightens up as he bows down at her.

"So please come in and join me for this lovely lasagna that brings peace to my troubled heart."

His apartment is minimalistic, dark, and gloomy, but with _style_ (like Klaus himself). After they finish eating and chatting (mostly about Ben — Caroline admits that she's becoming one of '_those moms_'), Klaus gets up and disappears in his bedroom for a second. He's back holding a small oblong box tied with a red ribbon. He places it in Caroline's hand.

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

He remembers. Some days before the day her father died she'd celebrated her birthday. The same evening he visited her for the first time and saved her life he had recklessly put to danger earlier.

She gapes at him for, like, eternity or at least a few good centuries, then slowly opens it and gasps again. A thin chain with a lovely pedant in a shape of a rosebud.

"Klaus, it's—" She mumbles, utterly perplexed, but he smiles and cuts in,

"Try it on, love."

She takes the chain in both hands and fights with the loop to close it around her neck but it just doesn't want to click into place.

"Let me help you." Klaus whispers and stands behind Caroline's back, she sweeps her hair to one side, revealing her milky white skin, then he takes both ends of the chain and links them together. When his fingers brush the nape of her neck she feels an electric jolt. As if he knew how much it tortures her, he lets his hands linger on her shoulders longer than they should. Caroline shivers when his breath skims over her skin. He's right there behind her. Right there.

Klaus can't stop himself. She smells so good and looks so beautiful, but what always strikes him the most is her aura. She has it all. His lips land cautiously on the nape of her neck and to his surprise she doesn't pull away. Quite the contrary, she gives in.

Yes, Caroline closes her eyes and gives in to the pleasure. She leans back against his chest and allows him to slowly place a trail of kisses on her neck. His hands travel to her front and while one is holding her by the chest, the other hand caresses her flat, smooth stomach. His hungry lips suck at her neck.

Caroline's eyes flutter. Oh God, she feels high. She's dazed, she's in an ecstatic trance. He must have put a spell on her. It feels so good. Yes, she can say it officially, his lips are _soft_.

He spins her to face him and brings her lips to his, cupping her head in his hands. Her fingers dart to his neck and she buries them into his curly messy hair.

He kisses her forcefully, she grabs his hair harder.

He presses his hand on the small of her back bringing her even closer to him, she clings to him like her life depended on it.

He doesn't have enough of her, he's never sated, never. Their tongues dance together and he's so turned on he could just devour her right now. Just pin her against the wall, just roll that long skirt up her thighs and—

"Klaus, stop, we can't—" All of a sudden the spell is broken. "We can't. Ben— I left him alone, I have to go, sorry, I have to go. I must go now. I—" She jabbers nervously all the way to the door and then she rushes down the corridor.

After she makes that typical Cinderella-like escape leaving him stupefied, Klaus still can taste her on his lips. Something's telling him that he won't get much sleep that night. And he's right. He spends all night awake in his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling or staying with his eyes closed, still intoxicated by her scent and taste, drunk with the momentary passion they shared.

He wants _more._

However, he has to wait till tomorrow and tomorrow has never seemed so far off.

* * *

**Beloved, we are always in the wrong,**

**Handling so clumsily our stupid lives, **

**Suffering too little or too long,**

**Too careful even in our selfish loves.**

**- W. H. Auden**


	5. After all that bluff

**A/N**: **You are so super-duper-amazing, my Dear Readers, I just can't even****—**

(While writing one of the scenes in this chapter, I was listening to ''E.T.'' by Katy Perry. Just saying if you wanted a soundtrack. *wink*)

—**OK, I shut up now. Read and talk to me as always.**

* * *

**Chapter 5 **

**After all that bluff**

* * *

**If equal affection cannot be,**

**Let the more loving one be me.**

— **W.H. Auden**

* * *

As soon as Ben goes to school, Caroline hears knocking at the door and she gulps. She can't hide from him forever even if she wants to. With a sigh and a shudder she opens the door not caring that she's only in her favourite fluffy crimson bath robe.

There he is, smiling at her expectantly. She lets him in, and she only just closes the door when his hands fall on her waist and pull her closer to his body.

"What was that thing yesterday, love?" He purred to her ear, still keeping her against his torso.

"You darted out like you got badly burnt." He grins playfully and leans forward to kiss her but she turns her head away and pries Klaus off her. Does he seriously hope that yesterday _meant_ something? Does he think that it could _change_ anything between them?

He shoots her a questioning look. Caroline crosses her arms in front of her in a defensive gesture and stares at her feet.

"Caroline?" He's getting more and more anxious. Yesterday he thought he made a step forward while actually... Did he rather make two steps back?

"We kissed." He reminds her.

"I know." She says bluntly. "But don't jump to conclusions."

His eyes say, _seriously_?

"I can't believe it." Klaus shakes his head in amazement and disbelief. "After all these years you still can't bring yourself to admit that there is something between us." He smirks. He seems to be truly amused by her self-righteousness.

"There was nothing between us, Klaus. Nothing." She pouts.

"Right. Because you were spoken for by Tyler." He mocks her. "Where is he now, Caroline, where is your Prince Charming when you need a real man by your side?"

Ouch. She must admit, this kinda hurts. Very much. (The red light lights up: Bad mood full of regret has been activated.)

"Yes, Tyler left me. Me and Ben." She snaps, her voice quivering. "Are you happy now?"

Klaus opens his mouth but says nothing, he just looks at her as her eyes start to water. He knows he's just cut her to the quick. Her eyes narrow.

"Sometimes I feel lonely. Sometimes I kiss people. End of the story. Now _leave."_

Caroline comes to the door and opens it, expecting him to quit. Klaus decides to get out, but before he does, he whispers to her,

"You are _not_ lonely because people abandon you, Caroline. You just push them away."

She slams the door shut so hard a picture hanging on the wall falls to the floor.

Klaus is the last person on Earth to lecture her, for goodness sake!

* * *

**You're doomed at being you.**

— **Chuck Palahniuk**

* * *

"Did you pack everything?"

"Yes, Care."

"Good. Be careful!"

"Okay, Care."

"And take care of yourself."

"Okay."

"And look out for wild animals!"

"I will, Care."

"And do not talk to strangers."

"I won't, Care."

"And — oh my God!— I will miss you so much!" She hugged Ben so tightly his face went blue.

"Care, it's only three days." He mumbles.

"I know, I know." She wipes a tear off her cheek. Her boy is going for the first three-day school trip to the mountains. Look how brave he is. Look. Look!

"It's not the Crusade, Caroline." Klaus' head emerges from behind her. She throws him an angry look.

"What are you—"

"Klaus! You came!" Ben beams at them and skips to Klaus to give him a high five.

"Of course I came. I had to say goodbye." He winks at Ben. Caroline doesn't know how he does it, but he just makes this boy proud and happy.

And it makes her heart ache, because she feels like she doesn't matter any longer to Ben. It's all about that... that... stupid hybrid.

The school bus drives away with a bunch of kids waving at their parents. Caroline and Klaus wave at Ben, but when the bus disappears from the sight so does Caroline's smile.

"Of course you had to. Of course." She mutters angrily, then brushes past him and scampers away.

He rolls his eyes at her putting on a show, then hears an older couple, probably some grandparents, looking at him with a knowing smile,

"Those cute young couples and their sweet bickering."

* * *

She gets home faster than a lightening. After she enters the apartment, a weird, sad feeling comes over her. The flat is now eerily silent and so... empty. Caroline plops herself down on the couch. It's just 10 am. What is she going to do alone for three days aka two nights?

She doesn't have friends in NY.

To kill the overwhelming feeling of loneliness she takes her phone and calls Stefan. He picks up after a short pause.

"Caroline! How are you?" She can imagine he's smiling.

"Good... Good. And you? How's life?"

"Um. Good." She hears his kind laugh and suddenly she misses Mystic Falls so much she wants to cry. "Did you like the gift?"

"What gift?" Her eyes go wide and all she can think of is the necklace she got from Klaus. But it's impossible, Stefan can't know.

"The package. Your birthday present. Did you get it?" Stefan's voice slowly becomes anxious.

"No?" She gulps. "Maybe it's on the way."

"We sent it a week ago. It should have been delivered already."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No, I am sorry, Care. We wanted to send you something we found while cleaning Elena's house."

"Really?" Her voice quivers, she can barely hold back the tears that are welling up.

"Yeah, we found her vervain necklace and a few photos of you two from your good old cheerleader times."

A tear escapes from Caroline's eye as she sniffs.

"Care, are you crying? Come on, I'm sure they will deliver it... eventually." He tries to comfort her but the blonde is too shaky to say anything.

"Caroline, is everything okay? Is Klaus still bothering you?"

She mumbles, "No, everything's fine. I can handle it. Thanks, Stefan. I call you later." And she hangs up.

She can handle it. She can. Yes, she absolutely can handle it.

But first she needs to cry her heart out.

* * *

**I sit here**

**drunk now.**

**I am **

**a series of**

**small victories**

**and large defeats**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Klaus doesn't show up the first night Ben's away which should calm Caroline's nerves a little. It should, but it doesn't. To be honest, she's... disappointed.

And because she's so ashamed of the fact that his absence disappoints her, Caroline passes out on the couch after watching the whole first season of _Being Human_ with her newfound friends — five bottles of Martini. Yeah, Martini, because —deep down her heart— she considers herself a female version of James Bond.

* * *

Although it isn't Saturday, Klaus spends the whole night hunting. The very thought of Caroline's hostile attitude makes him crave more blood. He's furious and he's not going to pretend he's an abstinent. He's not going to stifle his anger. No, his anger pops out of the bottle and spills all over the city. Under a bridge, in a park, at an underground station, in a shady alley, everywhere he goes corpses hit the ground.

* * *

**it's only human.**

**now we've got to do it.**

**I've got to do it**

**after all that bluff.**

**it's like a party—**

**two trapped**

**idiots.**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

The next evening comes, and Klaus stands in her doorway. He raises his hand holding a bottle of whiskey and raises his eyebrows in a suggestive gesture, too. She smiles bitterly and shows him a bottle of Martini in her hand.

The Alpha Male drinks Jack Daniels.

The Bond Girl drinks Martini.

It's their silent way of reconciliation, their drink and make up.

It's time to move on by putting all the old grudges to bed, forgetting them.

After the third bottle of Martini she finally loosens up.

"So, your new evil plan consists of being the father of the year?" She mocks him between frequent sips of her drink.

Klaus just smirks. (God, she looks so beautiful in a simple gray tank top and shorts.)

After the fourth bottle of Martini she starts recollecting her Mystic Falls memories. She giggles between frequent hiccups.

"I used to be so stupid and shallow." Hiccup. "So shallow. I was a kiddy pool." Hiccup. Klaus laughs out loud and her cheeks redden. "Okay, I'm not drinking more tonight."

"You are adorable, Caroline Forbes." He leans forward.

"Don't. Seriously." She warns him, embarrassed.

"You are beautiful." He shifts closer to her on the couch. Like a hungry predator.

"It's just a body." She leans back to get away from him.

He chuckles. "It's not only your body I want, Caroline." He's inches apart from her. "I want your _mind_ to _want_ _me_."

He gets closer.

And closer.

Too close for her own good.

Caroline is trapped in the corner of her couch with him hovering over her.

This will not end well, she gulps. This is happening tonight, he stares at her intensely.

He grabs her by her blonde curls — those curls that make him oh-so-crazy — and then pushes her down. The moment her back hits the couch seat they both know he's going to win this battle. When their lips touch she closes her eyes, and then fireworks set off in the back of her mind. She sinks deeper into the couch with his body covering hers, and as much as the lust she feels scares her, she can't stop herself from wrapping her legs around his waist. His hands find their way up her slim calves and thighs, his hips press onto her own, and she feels a tight knot forming in her abdomen.

It's killing her.

He buries his head in the crook of her neck (he purrs and breathes heavily, _Caroline_) eliciting a loud moan from her. Her nails leave dark red scratches on his wide back rushing him to get on with it.

Because she wants a fast release, an instant pleasure. Because she wants it now, because he's touching her the way she's never been touched — not only with lust but also with admiration. He admires her. Not like a cheerleader, not like a girl, but like a woman she is.

Caroline wants it fast, she's been always a hasty lover. But Klaus has waited too long to let her go so soon.

He's going to shower her with kisses, first.

And torture her with his tongue. (Oh how smooth her skin is. It tastes like strawberries.)

And then with even more kisses. (God, this girl's delicious.)

One moment his fingers play with the soft cotton hem of her top, the next moment it's gone along with her bra. She feels exposed at first when Klaus' eyes roam over her bare breasts—

"You are gorgeous, love."

—then it gets easier. Natural. Much better. It gets even better when his lips close around one of her nipples and she arches her back convulsively. That drives him so crazy his lips are back on hers, kissing her furiously, and she now understands the phrase 'to kiss like there was no tomorrow', because she's dying and she loves every second of it. His tongue dominates hers leaving Caroline breathless. There's a familiar, heated itching below her waist. It burns her from the inside. Their hips grind against each other as they are locked in a passionate kiss.

She forgets about the hybrids, sire bonds, wickedness. She does put it all to bed. Literally.

All she thinks about is, let it last, like, forever — forever and one day more. Yet he breaks the kiss for a second — there's still something wonderful to come and it's just the right time — and he slides her shorts and pants down her legs while she fumbles with his zipper. Finally there's nothing stopping him from thrusting into her forcefully and greedily, and Caroline's breathing stops for a second when he does.

"Caroline—" He wants to be as close to her as possible, moving in and out, his lips sucking at her neck, her hips rocking against his. He wants to crush her, destroy her, make her shatter into tiny pieces.

And so she does. _Oh yes!_ she does.

She lifts her bare legs and rests her feet on his back, wrapping herself around his body, trapping him between them like in a pair of pliers. _More_. _Now_. She earns a guttural groan from him, a proof that he's on the verge of a spontaneous combustion. He's kissing her frantically, he's nibbling at her neck, he's rocking inside her making her moan his name.

Caroline doesn't remember when she felt so good for the last time. Maybe she never did. Maybe it's this fatal attraction that makes it so incredibly amazing. He's her enemy. If he knew what she's hiding, he would kill her right away.

He is and will always be her death wish.

She moans while she feels him moving inside her like a thunder, panting heavily above her.

The release, it's coming, her whole body tenses, it's just right—

_...oh my...! _

She SCREAMS.

—here.

Klaus gasps as their eyes meet and flutter in a mutual ecstasy, he feels he has just sent her to heaven.

And when she lies there next to him, naked, exhausted, and sweaty, he smirks. _Where's your mind now, my sweet Caroline? _

* * *

**it's not pleasant to die on the cross,**

**it's much more pleasant to hear your name whispered in the dark.**

— **Charles Bukowski**


	6. The unkindest truth

**A/N: UNO: **My lovely Readers, how I love when you talk to me! Awww let me hug you!

**DOS:** Here comes the drama! Cry on my shoulder and leave me a word or two, k? *wink wink*

**TRES:** One more thing: you can find me on tumblr. Just saying. **(liarfaker** .tumblr .com)

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**The unkindest truth**

* * *

So this is how it feels to wake up with Caroline Forbes in his arms, Klaus smiles to himself as he pulls her back even closer to his chest.

It feels wonderful.

* * *

**it's colder than hell (yes) but**

**the blankets are thin,**

**and the pulled-down shades**

**are as full of holes as love is.**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

So this is how it feels to wake up in his tight embrace, she thinks, not opening her eyes when he pulls her closer.

It feels so... surreal. Weird. Guilty.

Yet so good. Intimate.

She's still afraid of him — God, she shudders at the thought of him finding out what really happened to Matt, Elena, and Ben— but at the same time, she feels glad she no longer has to push anyone away.

Caroline feels a pair of arms wrapping around her and a hand that slides down her bare stomach.

"Klaus, it's early in the morning." She mumbles.

The hand keeps on traveling south.

"Klaus." She warns him, but his hand is still exploring the landscape of her naked thighs.

"Kl—" She gasps when his fingers rub her sensitive spot. She could swear his lips curl into a nasty smile against the nape of her neck. When they touch it Caroline's legs just spread apart like on cue. Damn it. She almost gives up, she is about to jump his bones when it hits her.

"Ben is coming back today!" Indeed, Ben is coming this evening and there's a whole bunch of things she has to do before she picks him up! She shoots out of the bed like there was a fire in her condo, and darts to the bathroom. Klaus falls back onto the bed, amused.

"You have no idea what are you doing to me, love." He laughs. Then he smiles wickedly. You could almost see a pair of horns sticking out of his head as a devilish idea dawns on him.

"Wait! I'll wash your back."

And he catches her under the shower before she can close the door.

* * *

**In the burrows of the Nightmare**

**Where Justice naked is,**

**Time watches from the shadow**

**And coughs when you would kiss.**

— **W. H. Auden**

* * *

After he's done with her (slowly yet passionately, _twice_) Caroline leaves him in the apartment and sets out to do some shopping (dinner won't cook itself, you know). His task is to clean the living room a little after last night and hide all the bottles they left empty. The time Caroline spends looking for some pasta and some tomato sauce serves her also as the time for reflection.

Klaus doesn't have to know. Who says he has to learn the truth, anyways?

Ignorance is bliss.

This way she'll keep Ben safe and keep Klaus... um, just keep him. He's the only close less-than-friend-but-more-than-just-a-lover she has right now.

They are like enemies with benefits. Yes, this is how she would call what they have.

* * *

**Just for the record, the weather today is partly suspicious with chances of betrayal. **

— **Chuck Palahniuk**

* * *

With her bag full of cans, vegetables, fruits, and pasta she enters her apartment and her jaw drops at the sight of how tidy the living room is. Perfect order. Not even a sign of what was going on here last night. Wow.

"Look who's the next Martha Stewart." Caroline laughs when she sees Klaus resting on the couch with his feet up on a small coffee table, reading a book.

"At your service, love." He grins from behind the book but keeps on reading.

Caroline sets the shopping bags on the kitchen table and comes back to Klaus, sitting down on the couch next to him. He puts the book down. _Great Gatsby_. Caroline rolls her eyes. He and his classics.

"I'm going to pick up Ben in about three hours," she says because nothing better comes to her mind. She fiddles with her fingers.

"I'll go with you." He replies calmly seeing her nervousness.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Um. Klaus—" She stutters, her voice getting stuck in her throat. He raises an eyebrow expectantly. Caroline doesn't know which way to look. Her heart is racing.

"I just don't want to risk Ben's happiness." She chokes out finally. Klaus sits up straight and props his elbows on his knees, his head hanging low as he's meditating. This is such an intense moment that Caroline's stomach does a few twists.

"Don't you see it, Caroline?" Klaus sighs. "He's most happy when he's with you and me."

"I know. That's the problem." She smiles bitterly. He shakes his head.

"You're over-dramatic, do you know that?"

"Hey, I have reasons!" She pouts. Well, she does have a few good reasons not to trust him. Like, for example, making sheer hell out of Mystic Falls in the past?

"Caroline." He looks her in the eyes, completely serious, his face tenses, and she feels like he's about to explode. But he remains still.

"I know you're worried about him, but for God's sake, start living a little."

"It's not that easy." She says, adding 'when you pose such a threat to him' in her mind.

"It is." Klaus says, getting up from the couch and coming to the window, "It really is, love, but you're again fishing for excuses. Before it was Tyler, now it's Ben."

That leaves her dumbfounded.

He's right. He's so right she can't even shake her head in denial. Her stunned blue eyes are fixed on his stoic face. She has nothing to counter him with. Why the hell does he keep popping with his words of wisdom so often lately? He seems to love torturing her by playing with her conscience.

Klaus knows he's right. In his pretty long existence he's never been so right. And when he's right, he does not back out.

Caroline looks at him relieved when he smiles down back at her and asks,"So, when are we picking him up?"

"We should be waiting in the school parking lot around 5 pm."

"Well then, we still have some time, don't we?" He grins teasingly and she knows, she just knows what's on his mind.

He extends his hand to her and this time she doesn't hesitate even for a second. She lets him lead her to the bedroom while he's staring deep into her eyes. With want. With hope. With—

Then the phone is his pocket starts to vibrate. Klaus rolls his eyes with irritation ("I'm sorry, love.") and pulls it angrily out of his pocket to throw it away when he sees the caller ID. His eyes go wide. Kol.

"It's important." His face darkens so much he reminds Caroline of a menacing storm cloud.

He picks up with a brusque, "What do you want?"

"Easy, easy." Kol snickers. "Hello to you, too. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"You are. So?"

"I want you to put me on speaker phone." Kol sings to the phone, obviously sipping a drink.

"Why?" Klaus' grip almost crushes the phone he's holding.

"I have a question for your pretty little liar."

Klaus pushes a button and puts the phone down on the bed receiving a questioning look from Caroline. He shrugs.

"Now."

"Hello, Caroline!" Kol greets her joyfully with that posh accent of his.

"What's going on?" The blonde gets nervous. Kol always gives her creeps.

"This is exactly my question, Caroline. What's going on?"

Caroline and Klaus look at each other with their eyebrows raised.

"Let me rephrase. What are you hiding, darling?" Kol's voice instantly gets cold and gruff.

Klaus and his patience are about to part their ways. "Kol, you lunatic, what are you taking this time?"

"Nik, Nik, you old fool." Kol teases him. "I thought you were smarter than that."

"Seriously, just hang up." Caroline snapped.

"Do you really want me to hang up? I have quite a company here with me. Right, young man?"

"Caroline?" Ben's voice resounded in the room and Caroline's eyes widened with terror. Klaus gasped.

"B—Ben? Ben! What are you doing to him, Kol?" She started to breathe heavily.

"Well, nothing. For now. But I would love to know why are you protecting him so much." Kol hissed.

"He's Donovan's son, you idiot!" Klaus yells at the phone. The phone seems to be unmoved by his sudden outburst.

"You think I don't know that? But I did some digging on my own. So, Nik, ask your sweet blonde girlfriend... Why are the Salvatores paying the rent for her? Why are they keeping her like a mistress? She doesn't work, does she?" The venom in Kol's voice hurts Klaus' ears but he's got a point — Klaus has never asked Caroline about the money. He foolishly assumed that she, Caroline Forbes, a compulsion-hater, lives life to the full by compelling people around her and Ben.

Is he really the fool his brother called him?

"Why so silent, brother?" The youngest Original sneers.

Klaus' eyes bore into Caroline with so much emotional force her chin quivers.

"Isn't it strange, brother, that she took the boy and run away from Mystic Falls?"

Caroline's apologetic stare met Klaus' morose one.

"Oh, and by the way please ask her, why did they send her Elena's necklace as well as some old photos? Just curious."

"How did you—" Caroline lets out a breath.

"Now, I'll leave you two love birds alone so you can sort things out." Kol's voice has never sounded so happy. He just loves to spread chaos and mayhem. "Call me when she comes clean, Nik. I'm as intrigued as you are pissed off right now." And with those words he hangs up.

* * *

**morning night and noon**

**the traffic moves through**

**and the murder and treachery**

**of friends and lovers**

**and all the people**

**move through you.**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Silence falls between the two of them. He just stares at her with frigid, empty eyes, inhaling deeply, examining her face, waiting for some answers.

"I—" She stumbles.

"You what, Caroline?" His voice is shaking with anger. He slowly moves forward till he's inches apart from the blonde, towering over her. "What did you do?" He's ominously calm but she knows —she feels— that pure fury is consuming him inside.

"Why are you hiding with that boy in New York?"

She shakes her head, so desperate to run away but she knows that Ben's in danger.

"Just please, save him." A tear rolls down her cheek. "Please. Klaus."

"Who is he, Caroline?" He's still scanning her face, his own smouldered with hatred.

"He's Matt's son, Klaus. Stefan and Damon just care about him. That's all. I swear! You have to believe me!" She chokes on her tears.

"Tell me the truth or I'll let Kol kill him!" He yells at her while his face twists with rage. He grabs her forcefully by the shoulders and throws at the wall — her bones crack — then pins her against it. His nostrils flare as he breathes heavily.

"I swear I'm telling the truth!" Her heart beats so fast it's about to jump out of her chest.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I don't believe you." He whispers and his pupils dilate. _Oh no_, Caroline gulps, _please don't__—_

"I want you to tell me the truth about Ben." His jaw clenches. Caroline's eyes go blank. She hasn't been taking vervain since she moved to New York. How could she be so reckless...

"He's Elena's son." Her voice creaks, and she sniffs as he releases her shocked and speechless.

He thought he would never make any more hybrids, that he lost the chance. And the one person he needs has been right under his nose all the time. He bought the story about Elena raising Matt's kid so easily that now he's ashamed of his own gullibility. Then he met Caroline and she led him astray. She went straight to his head like bloody whiskey. How could he be so blind. How could he... He is a fool, indeed, he's the king of fools!

His pupils dilated again. _You pretty little liar._

"You are not leaving this apartment until I let you. And don't even try to call anyone for help." He spits.

Then he's gone with a swoosh.

Caroline falls down on the carpet and curls up in a ball, defeated.

* * *

**pain is the joy of knowing**

**the unkindest truth**

**that arrives without **

**warning.**

**life is being alone**

**death is being alone.**

**even the fools weep**

**morning night and noon.**

— **Charles Bukowski**


	7. No place for us

**A/N: A) **Don't bite me, my dear Readers, for there's still a few chapters left. Yep. I have it all planned since ch 5 (I have made 'the decision'). :) I wish I could make it as long as _Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps_, because I grow so attached to my stories that it's hard for me to let them go, but well... I don't want to overdo it.

**B) **It's a super-fast update because your reviews make me soooo happy *dreamy stare* like chocolate or cranberry beer. Or both.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**No place for us**

* * *

**The weather today is partly angry, leading to resignation and ultimatums.**

— **Chuck Palahniuk**

* * *

He's gone for what to Caroline seems like eternity. She spends it lying on the floor, pouring her heart out.

How could she be so naive to think that she could keep Ben safe around Klaus? How could she be so selfish to stay with him, thinking that he's harmless now? She hoped —so foolishly!— that now without his power trip Klaus would be a better man. Ben likes him so much. Ben _admires_ him. With one immature decision she ruined ten years of struggle to keep the boy safe. What would Stefan say? She can just imagine that disappointment in his eyes as well as that rage in Damon's.

"I'm so sorry, Elena." She whispers.

This waiting is killing her in the worst way possible.

Finally the door opens with a creak and Klaus comes in, with his clothes ripped and torn, holding unconscious Ben in his arms. There's a bruise under hybrid's left eye, but apart from that he seems fine. (Physically, of course. The bruises on his mind and heart are much worse.)

"Ben! Oh my God!" She rushes to them, hoping the boy is left unharmed. He is. Klaus takes Ben to his bedroom and puts him gently on the bed. Then he returns to the living room where Caroline's waiting for him, trembling.

"Thank you." She utters, distressed and afraid of Klaus, but relieved to see that Ben is safe and sound.

"I wouldn't be so eager to thank me if I were you." He warns her in a cold tone.

"What do you mean?" Caroline's heart skips a beat.

"I'm taking the boy away." He states, not looking at her. Caroline launches at him, grabs him by his shirt and begs him, "What? You can't! Klaus, you can't do this!" She's frantically pulling at his already torn shirt. He roughly pushes her away.

"You're not in a position to tell me what to do." He mutters.

"Please." Her voice cracks. The girl totally breaks down. "I beg you, don't take him away from me. I'll do anything you want, just— "

"Why should I listen to you at all? Why should I believe you now when you promise me to behave?" He's seething. "You lied to me, Caroline Forbes. You betrayed me!"

"What do you think was I supposed to do?" She lashes out at him. "Tell you right away that he carries the doppelganger gene? Do you think I'm suicidal? !"

That keeps him thinking for a moment. He never wanted Caroline to pledge her loyalty to him. She was the only one whose loyalty he wanted to _earn_. Well, it turns out he's been doing a crap of a job so far. She is still afraid of him. She may be sleeping with him, but she still doesn't open up her heart—

Screw that, she's been lying to him!

But how is he going to raise the boy on your own? He needs to have _full_ _control_ over young Donovan but he can't stay with him 24/7.

"You have two options — if you want to stay alive, of course." Klaus says eventually, waking Caroline's almost dead heart.

"One: I can let you go, you'll run away and never come back." Her eyes start to water again. "Or, you can stay with me and the boy. You'll raise him with me, you'll continue with being a perfect mother, but you _will_ _not_ make any decisions without consulting them with me first. You will not disobey me, you will not try to steal him from me. And if you do, I'll kill you, Caroline, I'll kill you with my bare hands." His threatening stare is telling her that he's dead serious.

"What are you going to do with him?" She shudders swallowing hard.

"He'll get everything he wants. I'll give him the best schools, he'll study at whatever college or university he'll want. I'll show him the whole world. He'll come to no harm, I will always protect him. He'll have a father he wants and a perfect family he dreams of. He'll grow up, settle down, start a family on his own, he'll have a little doppelganger daughter, and he'll lead a long, healthy human life." Klaus says it with such a determination that Caroline makes her choice on the spot. She'll give up everything to keep Ben safe and happy. She needs to be there for him. Even if it means spending so many years with Klaus.

"I'll stay." Her eyes are fixed firmly on his own. Klaus looks now like the Klaus he used to be — a dangerous, hurt predator that lost his humanity centuries ago. The last trace of humanity he was showing when he was with her is now gone. His eyes are empty again. And it stings Caroline's heart like salt rubbed into a wound.

"Pack your things, then. We're moving out in three days." Klaus says flatly and turns to leave the apartment when a hand grabs his arm.

"Thank you." Her pale lips whisper almost inaudibly. He doesn't even look at her as his jaw clenches in anger.

"If you betray me again, Caroline, you'll end up dead."

Klaus has to leave her condo right now because if he doesn't, he'll lose it completely and just break her neck with one agile twist. He thought he didn't have a heart but there's an aching point in his chest that makes it impossible for him to breathe normally. He's been hoping for the last two months that at least Caroline would stay true to him. But people are untrustworthy and Klaus comes to the painful realization that there's no loyalty unless it's forced by the circumstances.

* * *

**your letters got sadder.**

**your lovers betrayed you. kid, I wrote back, all**

**lovers betray. it didn't help.**

**- Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Ben — compelled to forget about the whole incident with Kol— jumps for joy when Caroline and Klaus, with smiles plastered on their faces, tell him that they are moving in together to a house on the beach. (The Hamptons. Rich and spoiled society. Desperate housewives and men always hunting for more money and younger women. Klaus in obviously an elitist.)

Yes, they are together. Yes, they will live happily ever after.

Yes, they will get him a dog, too.

As soon as Ben disappears in his room — ready to pack his things even now— the cold distance between Klaus and Caroline is back.

She's wondering if he'll ever change his mind. If he doesn't, one day she'll have to tell Ben the truth and send him to somewhere in Europe where Klaus can't find him. And she'll take the consequences, she'll handle the measureless wrath she'll bring down on herself. But for now she has to focus on Ben's own good, she has to stall for more time to hatch not a good but a perfect Plan B. Good is not enough when it comes to defeating Klaus. She needs _excellent_.

* * *

A few days later everything's prepared. Caroline is silently amazed at Klaus' organizational skills. Well, he's had more than a thousand years to refine his methods.

Their new house is a breathtaking villa on a cliff just right next to the beach. A jaw-dropping landscape. An impressive garden with a small cozy garden house in one of its corners. Two swings. And a kennel.

Klaus would ask her, _do you like it?_ She would wrap her arms around his neck and shower him with kisses, _yes, yes I love it! It's perfect!_ But he doesn't say anything. A week ago he would give her the whole world if she asked him to, but now every time he looks at Caroline, he just wants to strangle her. Still, no matter how much he wants to erase her from his heart, there's a tiny little bit of him that enjoys her smiling face and her fascination with the house.

While their luggage is being taken care of by a compelled crew, Caroline lets Ben stay in the garden. He loves everything about their new house.

Their _home._

"When are we going to get a dog?" Ben tugs at Caroline's summer floral dress.

"As soon as we settle in," Caroline smiles at him. Then she remembers what Klaus said about making decisions. She looks at him uneasily, "Right?"

Klaus nods. "The only thing that is missing here is a dog."

"And a younger brother." Ben pouts. Caroline gags. Klaus raises an eyebrow.

"A brother?"

"This is why we moved out of New York, right? Because I'm going to have a brother or a sister?" Ben looks at them suspiciously. Caroline seems too shocked to say anything. Klaus clears his throat, smirking unintentionally.

"Ben, we are not having a baby."

"Oh." Ben sighs disappointed. "You sure?"

That makes Klaus laugh more and Caroline's cheeks just turn crimson with embarrassment.

"I'm sure. But a dog is enough, it will do, you have my word."

Ben shrugs and trudges away to sit on a swing. Klaus looks for Caroline's face, but she's already gone.

* * *

**it's best to sit in a small room**

**with the shades down**

**and**

**wait.**

**the strongest men are the fewest**

**and the strongest women die alone**

**too.**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

The blonde sends the maids away and decides to sort out her clothes herself in the privacy of her own bedroom. She needs some distraction. She doesn't know what upsets her more — the fact that Ben thought she was pregnant or that Klaus was so amused by the improbability of such a situation. Caroline is sure he laughed at her not because she's a vampire, he laughed because he now despises her so much he would never touch her even if they were humans. She's fully aware of how he looks at her now. With loathing. Contempt. Hurt.

She's lost the only advantage she had over him. Now it's her time to earn his trust and she has to apply herself to the task if she wants to set Ben free from the hybrid's greedy, power-hungry claws.

When she's going through her lingerie, Caroline thinks about Tyler. The last time she was wearing this beautiful red lacy set was when she and Tyler celebrated their anniversary. She puts it against her body and looks at her reflection in the tall mirror hanging on the wall. She'll probably never wear it again.

"You better choose a dress for the cocktail party tomorrow." She hears Klaus' voice. Caroline spins around, hiding the set behind her back.

"What?"

"Our neighbours — terrible snobs but oh well — are throwing a party tomorrow. The whole community is going and so are we."

"Why?" She shakes her head. "We don't have to mingle. It's only temporary, anyways."

Klaus rolls his eyes. "But I need to know who's a werewolf and who's a vampire in the Hamptons without exposing myself. It's a perfect opportunity to, as you put it, _mingle._''

Caroline doesn't want to play again the socialite she used to be. She doesn't have it in her anymore. She hates the cliques and scheming now.

"But you can go alone and I will stay with Ben."_ Please, let me stay at home._

"I think I didn't make myself clear. You are going with me and you'll play Mrs. Mikaelson brilliantly, do you understand?" He threatens her with all his hybrid self — his voice, his stare, his body language. Shivers run down Caroline's spine. She nods silently.

"Speaking of keeping up appearances," he takes a few steps forward and puts something small on her bed. She takes it and frowns. A golden ring? A... wedding ring? She gulps.

"Don't you dare take it off."

"Klaus, it's a wedding ring." She chokes out.

"Any problem with that? Or maybe you want me to _actually_ put it on your finger with reverence?" He snaps, irritated. She winces at his brusque, sharp tone.

"N-no. I just thought... it... wouldn't be necessary."

"Don't be ridiculous." He bridles at her troubled expression. "It's not like you're forced to marry me. It's just a sham." He says, then adds quietly, _like you_.

Later that night Caroline lies in the bed playing with the wedding ring.

Mrs. Caroline Mikaelson. A sham.

* * *

**Say this city has ten million souls,**

**Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes:**

**Yet there's no place for us, my dear, yet there's no place for us.**

— **W.H. Auden**


	8. Shot like a flower in the dance

**A/N: **I feel **_weird_** about this chapter, but this is it.

Also: I'm off for the weekend, but I have already started writing chapter 9 (now you know what I do on long sleepless nights) so when I'm back I'll post it right away (or so I hope).

I love your response to the story. To be honest, I've never thought it would gain so much attention. So, keep on talking to me, my Dear Readers, I love every single word you leave me.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Shot like a flower in the dance **

* * *

**Heart, we will forget him,**

**You and I, tonight!**

**You must forget the warmth he gave,**

**I will forget the light.**

— **Emily Dickinson**

* * *

The following morning Caroline drinks her coffee sitting in the terrace, looking at the beach in front of her, and she sighs, _this would be perfect if it wasn't a sham_. The sun, sand, light breeze, plants, garden, flowers. She loves everything about the place except its owner. She hears the front door open and Ben is calling her, obviously excited.

"Care! Look!" He comes to her with something small cuddled in his arms.

It's a puppy. A mongrel.

"I wanted to get a dog from a breeder but Ben dug his heels in and insisted on going to a shelter." Klaus shrugs with a wry smile.

"He was so miserable, Caroline. Other puppies rejected him." Ben pouts sadly, nodding at the pup.

"Oh."

"I'm sure they didn't want him because he's different." The kid goes on. "So I took him and he'll have a family now."

Caroline's speechless. Her voice just gets trapped in her throat. She looks at Klaus who gets suddenly absorbed in his own thoughts.

Ben sees how moved she is and adds, "His name's Cas."

"You are all heart, Benjamin Donovan." She hugs him and kisses him on the forehead. Ben trots away with Cas still in his arms. Both vampires follow him with their eyes. Then Klaus turns to Caroline.

"He wanted to call him _Kol_."

This makes the blonde gasp. "But you compelled him to forget!"

"I did. The name seems to get stuck in his head, though." He frowns and sucks his teeth. He looks tense, even if he tries to hide it.

"Does Kol know about...?" Caroline hesitates, but Klaus snarls at her.

"No. I might have been stupid enough to fall for you once, but I would never risk Ben's life."

Caroline lowers her eyes, avoiding his stare.

Just another nice day in the Mikaelson household. And she's got a feeling it's just getting started.

* * *

**No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.**

— **Oscar Wilde**

* * *

The dark raspberry-coloured cocktail dress hugs her curves perfectly and with a pair of black heels and some modest jewellery the outfit Caroline picks at the last minute seems complete. She puts some eyeliner on, and just when she's applying pink lip gloss on her lower lip, Klaus enters her room. He adjusts the black thin tie that matches the black suit he's wearing and contrasts with his snow-white shirt.

"Ready? We should be going." His slight irritation is visible although he tries to remain calm. Caroline wonders how much she annoys him. She notices how tense he gets every time they spend more than ten minutes in the same room. Ben doesn't see it, but again, Ben's not a vampire.

"Let me just check my purse." She says and reaches for a tiny black clutch bag that lies on her bed. While she fumbles with cosmetics and a bottle of perfume, Klaus observes her with his arms crossed.

"You are going to play a perfect wife today, I expect you to do your best. You better make use of all of your social graces." He states coldly.

She shoots him an angry look and her grip on the clutch tightens.

"Do you like it?" She hisses.

"Yeah, the dress is fine." He says bluntly and gestures at her to get moving.

"Not my dress, Klaus. Do you like bossing around?" Her heartless tone of voice matches his own.

They stare at each other like two wild cats ready to attack and claw each other's eyes out. Finally, Klaus breaks the eyes contact and with a brief "Let's go" he leaves the room.

* * *

**Just for the record, the weather today is bitter with occasional fits of jealous rage. **

— **Chuck Palahniuk**

* * *

Caroline tries to remember all the facts she's learned about their neighbours as they are walking slowly towards the mansion. Claire and Steven Burton. He's a lawyer and a senator, she used to be a model, but finally she became a full-time housewife. How cliché. Their only son, Brian — about to graduate from a law school— is a womanizer like his father once was.

"You did quite a research." Caroline muses.

"They say, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

"What do you mean?" She frowns but he doesn't respond.

When they enter the lavish party, Klaus instantly turns into Mr. Mikaelson wrapping his hand around her waist, bringing her closer to him. Caroline has to admit, embarrassed, that she still gets a little excited when he touches her like that. When his hand travels absently over her lower back and arms... His fingers brush her shoulder blades... Ugh! She shakes her head. Stop it. Stop. It.

Somebody comes to her rescue — or to finish her off, Caroline is not quite sure. All she knows is that a beautiful blonde queen bee dressed in white stands in front of her with a glass of champagne and curiosity written all over her face. She must be in her fifties, but _of_ _course_ she looks ten years younger. The Hamptons.

"Mr. Mikaelson and his lovely wife, I suppose." She drawls in a low, calm, seductive voice.

"Nik Mikaelson," he presses a light kiss on the back of her hand. "And this is my indeed lovely wife, Caroline." His lovely wife gags inwardly but tries to keep her composure, and gives the woman the nicest smile she has in store.

"Claire Burton, nice to meet you." They shake hands. "I'm happy to see some new faces in the Hamptons." Claire doesn't stop smiling like a vixen which has an unnerving effect on Caroline.

"You seem so young, honey," Claire points out surprised, "so young and already married?" She acts like a true matriarch she is. Caroline gulps when Klaus' grip on her waist gets stronger.

"Oh, I think true love just comes no matter if we're ready or not." Caroline smiles shyly earning a smirk from Klaus.

"True love?" Claire tilts her head to the side, obviously as taken aback as amused. "You will definitely make a refreshing contribution to our community, my dear, I'm sure of that. True love, that's _refreshing_, indeed."

Caroline musters a kind laugh but soon her face go pale as Klaus leaves her with Claire and starts a friendly chat with Mr. Burton.

"Tell me, sweetheart, what's your profession?" Claire's observing Caroline like a hungry shark.

"Um. I— I don't really have a job yet, I want to settle in first." Caroline stutters. Claire lets out a small laugh. Again. She puts an arm around Caroline's shoulder and whispers,

"Don't worry, Caroline. Believe me, being a wife in the Hamptons is a full-time job. Thankless, mostly."

_You have no idea_, Caroline thinks. _I've been Mrs. Mikaelson for a day and I'm already fed up with this role. _Caroline opens her mouth to say something nice about the mansion in accordance to the rules of etiquette, but someone cuts in. Someone very tall, dark-haired, handsome—

"Good evening. You must be Caroline. Aren't you a beauty."

— and cocky. He'd be the human Caroline's target, definitely, but now he gives her creeps. He's like Damon, but upgraded to version 2.0.

"Oh, Brian!" Claire pouts. (Yep. Pouts.) "Forgive him his straightforwardness, Caroline, my son is still a far cry from a gentleman I wish he was."

"Forgive my mother, Caroline, she takes the role of a queen too seriously." Brian winks at her. Caroline raises an eyebrow. _Klaus, damn you, if you don't take me away from this snobbish hell I swear I'll suck them dry. _

She fiddles constantly with her (fake) wedding ring as if to boost her confidence. It feels strange to wear it just like that, but she won't argue with Klaus over it. He wears his ring, too, so it's a bilateral deal. Still, it's just... weird. As a human she used to frequently imagine her wedding whenever she was dating someone. She used to secretly browse the web in search of a perfect wedding dress. Oh trivialities, Caroline smiles bitterly to herself, how silly of the old me.

* * *

Slow music fills the vast room they are in, and Caroline feels a familiar touch. Klaus appears out of nowhere and with a charming smile ("Excuse me while I steal my wife for a dance.") he just leads her to the dance floor. Caroline shivers when their bodies touch and then sway slowly to the music.

"I see they already love you." He whispers to her ear, with a palpable trace of jealousy hidden in his voice. "The other men observe you, too. Everyone's quite taken with you."

"So I'm sure all the spoiled housewives that came here this evening have already blacklisted me." Caroline snarls. She's seen and heard a few comments about _the new blonde beauty_ in the Hamptons. She knows her appearance has set tongues wagging.

"Did you find out what you had to? I want to go home."

"Not yet."

Music stops and instantly they are attacked (socially) by the host. Everyone stays still as Steven Burton's voice resounds through the room.

"I think it's high time we raise our glasses in a toast to the health of our new neighbours, Nik and Caroline Mikaelson. I hope we'll get along as neighbours and as friends, too. Cheers!"

_Cheers_, the guests raise their glasses and nod at them. Caroline feels uneasy while so many eyes look at her, whisper, make comments. The human Caroline would be as happy as a clam, basking in her own glow, being in the center of attention. But she's not that Caroline anymore, and all she wants is to go home and lie huddled in her bed with a bottle of Martini.

Klaus stays smug during the whole party, chatting with people, using all his charm, but keeping his eye on Caroline all the time. He admits, she looks stunning. Ravishing. Extraordinary. Genuine beauty. When that pathetic young Burton winked at her, Klaus wanted to rip him apart and stuff him with sawdust like a dead animal. When Caroline and Klaus stop for a drink, Brian (who obviously has had a few drinks himself) comes up to both of them, grinning wickedly.

"You got yourself a beautiful wife, Nik." He raises his glass and takes a sip of champagne, looking straight into Caroline's eyes.

"Yeah, she's a real gem." Klaus says through the gritted teeth, his hand rests firmly, possessively on her waist.

"Sure, keep talking like I wasn't here." Caroline shrugs and snatches another drink from a passing waiter. She already feels light-headed, but without champagne she would probably go on a killing spree. So, let's save the mankind.

''Equipped with a sharp tongue as well." Brian laughs. Klaus purses his lips. He's about to lose it when his phone vibrates.

"Excuse me." He mutters and leaves Caroline to her own fate. Or rather, at the mercy of Brian Burton.

* * *

**When words lose their meaning, physical force takes over.**

**— W. H. Auden**

* * *

When Klaus is out of earshot, he picks up. "Stefan! Miss me?" He smirks.

"Not you, Klaus." Stefan's voice is tense. "It's about Caroline. I know you have her. Her and Ben."

"Are you also aware of the fact that I know about the dirty little secret you've been hiding from me?"

"Leave them be, Klaus."

"Or?"

"Or I will have to resort to some drastic methods."

Klaus laughs out loud. "Oh Stefan, my dear friend, are you seriously threatening me?"

"It's just a warning." Stefan's stoic calmness starts to get on the hybrid's nerves. Stefan and his protectiveness!

"So let me warn you, too. If you lay a finger on Caroline or the boy, I swear, Stefan, I'll tear you limb from limb, or I'll kill anybody who tries to take them away from me, for that matter. Now excuse me, old chap, I have a party to attend." And he hangs up. Nobody will take his family from him again. His eyes turn yellow for a moment, but with strenuous effort he regains his balance. More or less. He's still raging inside.

When Klaus is back in the room, the first thing he hears is Caroline's laugh. Brian is telling some kind of a (stupid, for sure) joke, and she laughs, sipping at her champagne. She's drunk. And she's flirting with him. And his eyes are looking where they shouldn't! And he leans forward and whispers —whispers!— something to her ear. She frowns angrily at the man but before she can say anything to her pesky admirer, Klaus cuts in and takes Caroline roughly by the hand, then leads her outside. She tries to free herself from his grip, but he's too strong.

"What's your problem?" She spits. He's dragging her along the street until they stand at their doorstep. He's so furious he fumbles with the keys and can't find the right one. They get in, eventually, and she's fuming with rage, too.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I thought you're too smart to be seduced.'' He mocks her but his tone and expression is far from being playful. ''But, as I've just seen, that crude wanted to prove me wrong!" He pants out.

"I was about to turn him down!" Caroline folds her arms in exasperation. "Besides, yesterday you told me that it was —that we were— just an act, and now you are... jealous!"

"You're just drawing the wrong kind of attention to yourself! I'm not—"

"Yes you are!" The amount of alcohol Caroline has consumed finally hits her head. She's too brave for her own good. Her vision gets a little blurry but she's not going to cave in. Not this time. She's had enough of his anger management problems.

"A fake wedding ring or not, you are going to behave from now on, do you understand?" He yells at her.

"Screw you and your control issues!" Caroline turns from him ready to stagger off — as drunk as a lord but also as bold as one — when he grabs her by her right wrist and yanks backwards. She stumbles but keeps her balance.

"Touch me one more time and I swear I'll— "

"You'll do _what_? You'll toy with me, and then sleep with me, plotting your revenge while moaning my name?" He can't stop the words from flowing. The champagne must have struck him more than he thought. Shit. Whatever makes him utter those words, it's too late to revoke them.

Her eyes widen and—

—she slaps him hard across the face. Her hand is burning from the impact.

He sobers up instantly, but she's not there anymore.

* * *

**shot in the eye **

**shot in the brain **

**shot in the ass **

**shot like a flower in the dance **

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Klaus doesn't come to the kitchen for breakfast, he waits till Caroline and Ben take Cas for a long walk down the beach. He's too ashamed of his recent outburst to look her in the eyes. Not yet. He still doesn't know what came over him last night. He vented all his anger on her. Anger triggered by Stefan's call and that pathetic boy hitting on his... on Caroline.

Caroline hopes the walk will help her cure the hangover that is bugging her — not a physical but a moral one. She remembers how she hit him, in fact her hand still hurts a little. She feels guilty. Not only because she slapped him — she's more than sure it didn't hurt him even half as much as it hurt her— but she also provoked him. She was deliberately flirting with Brian to elicit some kind of response from Klaus. Caroline just didn't know that it would bring about such dramatic consequences. She definitely bit more than she could chew last night.

The doorbell rings and Klaus trudges down the stairs, _damn, did she forget the keys again?_ He's not prepared to face Caroline so soon, but he can't just let them wait at the doorstep forever. As he's getting closer and closer to the door, many words run through his mind.

_I'm sorry. Forgive me. Jealous. I never meant to— I just— I— _

He pushes the door handle down and... his voice gets trapped in his throat.

"Good morning, Niklaus."


	9. It has been a beautiful fight

**A/N: **I'm back! And here we go with chapter 9. I'm afraid there's only one or two left. It breaks my heart, seriously.

Yes**, Cas **is named after Castiel (''Supernatural'') because I simply love this character. :)

You are lovely, my Dear Readers, yes you are. *bearhug*****

* * *

**Chapter 9 **

**It has been a beautiful fight**

* * *

**Just for the record, the weather today is calm and sunny, but the air is full of bullshit.**

— **Chuck Palahniuk**

* * *

Caroline is resting on the warm sand observing how Ben and Cas are playing with a stick when her phone buzzes. A message from Klaus. Sure as hell it's not a lovey-dovey 'miss u bb' type.

_Elijah's here. He must not know. Pretend. _

Her heart stops. Another Original came to make their life living hell? That's just great. Tea or coffee, dear? When she and Ben get home, Elijah's already sitting by the kitchen table with a cup of green tea in his hands. Green tea! She rolls her eyes, what will be next? Classes of yoga?

Elijah greets her with a nod. "Caroline."

She just nods back, then comes to where Klaus is sitting and places a hand on his shoulder, trying to look supportive. _Pretend._

"This is Ben." Klaus says and Ben comes nearer. "Ben, this is my brother, Elijah."

Ben is so surprised his jaw drops. "You never told me you have a brother!"

"You never asked." Klaus smirks. The boy is filled with awe. Caroline can understand him, Elijah commands respect, and the way he carries himself with such dignity and class gives him an aura of mystery.

"What are you doing here, Elijah?" Caroline decides to remind them all of her presence in the kitchen.

"I'm just paying a visit. I said earlier that I came in peace." Elijah takes a sip of his tea. "Besides, we always celebrated my brother's birthday together, didn't we, Niklaus? I think I can stay till tomorrow."

That's a shocker. Caroline always thought that Klaus was too old to celebrate anything — well, maybe another evil victory, but his birthday? Not anymore. The candles wouldn't fit on one cake anyways. Klaus seems to feel as awkward as Caroline this time. He would never expect Elijah to pop out just like that to wish him happy birthday. Elijah is not that... spontaneous.

Caroline clears her throat — she's been doing it a lot recently and she's wondering why it's so hard for her not to be surprised at the constant changes in her life, at least just for once.

"So, I guess you're staying here for a while."

"I think so." Elijah looks at Klaus but he can't unravel the mystery that Klaus' face has become.

* * *

**Until you find something to fight for, you settle for something to fight against. **  
** — Chuck Palahniuk**

* * *

After showing Elijah his room and letting him have a small chat with Ben — oh how the boy loves Elijah, he even calls him 'uncle Eli' but Elijah doesn't mind at all— Klaus takes Caroline aside to discuss, as he calls it, something crucial.

"As long as Elijah is staying here, we have to share a bedroom." He explains, trying to sound as much neutral as he can, although it's difficult. He can't imagine them sleeping in one bed without other... thoughts... attacking his mind at the same time. _Damn you, imagination._

"Um." Caroline raises her eyebrows. "But— " Then she realizes. Elijah has to think they're together. Generally, people who are together sleep in the same bed. The rumor has it that they also have sex, but Caroline gets rid of _that_ persistent thought right away.

"Okay, I get it."

Klaus lets out a relieved sigh. There's still a tension between them, and he swears that another awkward moment could just ruin him emotionally. Before she leaves the room, Caroline turns to Klaus, gulps, and utters in a slightly trembling voice,

"Listen. I know that lately things have been..." she hesitates, _"tense..._ between us, but if we are going to spend a couple of years together, I hope they will finally get better. For Ben's sake."

She really hopes so. Not only for Ben's sake.

When Klaus doesn't respond — his eyes fixed absently on the wall— she walks away resigned but keeping her head high.

* * *

**Lighting new cigarettes,**

**pouring more**

**drinks. **

**It has been a beautiful **

**fight. **

**Still**

**is.**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Elijah follows her to the garden and joins her on a swing. She feels uneasy under his inquiring stare. They sit in silence for a moment, Caroline's trying to calm herself down by fiddling with her ring.

"A wedding ring? Really?" He says finally.

"Yes." She mumbles.

"Why are you so naive and weak, Caroline? How can you live with Benjamin and the monster that poses a threat to him? It thought you were better than that."

The blonde shoots him a surprised look, obviously taken aback. _What's going on?_ Elijah continues,

"When my brother was lying in the coffin, I promised Elena her children would come to no harm. She may be dead, but I'm still determined to keep that promise."

"But Ben's fine, besides he's not— " She starts but the Original cuts her off.

"Please, Caroline, do not offend my intellect. Do you really think I don't see it? I guess it took Niklaus more time just because he was distracted by your pretty self."

Then she understands. He knows about Ben. Elijah knows, and now she's cornered. Pure terror runs through her veins, she doesn't know whether to run or to fight, either way she has no chance of winning against the Original. As on cue, Elijah's tone becomes more reassuring.

"You might love them both, Caroline, but it's dangerous for him to stay with Klaus. Whom do you love more, Elena's son or my brother?"

Caroline already knows the answer, but she pretends to be thinking it through. She doesn't really think Elijah would double-cross her, but still... She has to do the math quickly, consider all her options, decide who deserves her trust.

She sighs. "What's your offer?"

"If you keep Klaus occupied and distracted for a few days, I will make some necessary arrangements. When I finish, I'll take Benjamin to England and he'll remain safe and hidden, with a new identity and a new family."

That scares Caroline to death.

"But _I_ am his family."

"What is more important, Caroline?" Elijah frowns. "Your selfish reasons to keep him here and risk his life, or him staying alive and leading a normal life without any vampires in it?"

Although it hurts like hell, Caroline knows Elijah's right. She made a mistake by letting Klaus into their life and now it's time to face the consequences. But she can't imagine her existence without that bright smile, those trusting eyes, the way he says _goodnight, Care_.

"I need more time." She says.

"I understand. But please, Caroline, give it some thought. We'll talk later when your mind is made up."

And he leaves her in the garden shaky and confused.

* * *

**some dogs who sleep at night **

**must dream of bones **

**and I remember your bones **

**in flesh **

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

It's the first night since their falling-out that they spend in the same bedroom, in the same bed. Together. Caroline's lying with her back turned to him so he doesn't notice that she's still very much awake.

God, her barely covered back is driving him crazy. He turns on his side and squeezes his eyes shut. He tries so hard not to think about her delicate skin, the curve of her ass visible under the covers, the neck he loved to pepper with kisses till she couldn't take it anymore, till she exploded. Those hips that rocked against his, those eyes that — he thought— loved him once, even if just for a moment.

All he's always had was an illusion: of power, of family, of love. He still clings to it, because as fragile as this illusion is, it's still all he has left.

* * *

It's almost midnight when Caroline finds him in Ben's room. She follows him after he jumps out of bed and disappears behind the bedroom door. Now she knows where he's hiding from her. She sneaks up and puts her ear to the door. Neither of them is sleeping. They are... talking. And watching a movie. In the middle of the night!

"Dastan is a real kick-ass!" Ben laughs excited. _Who the hell is Dastan?_ "Do you think a magical dagger actually exists?"

Klaus chuckles. "Well, maybe. One day I'll tell you about another magical dagger I know."

"Really? Is there more?"

"You have no idea."

"So, are we going to see a desert?"

"A desert, camels, the pyramids, whatever you want." Caroline could swear Klaus is smiling right now. Has he just promised Ben a trip? She shakes her head. She doesn't understand that man, and every time she thinks she finally sees right through him, something like this happens. _Mr. Nice Guy_ happens. And a thought that maybe, one day...

"You're the best!" Ben gushes.

The door creaks and Caroline enters Ben's bedroom. She crosses her arms to appear more serious.

"And you should be sleeping right now, young ma— ohmygodisitJakeGyllenhaal?" She's lost to the world. She gasps, she shivers, her eyes as big as saucers. _Look at ya, Jake, look at ya! _

"Hey, move a little, we have to squeeze." Caroline falls on the bed right next to Klaus and Ben, and now all three of them look like teenagers during a sleepover. The blonde seems hypnotized. _Oh Jake!_

Klaus and Ben roll their eyes when a lady threatens to kill the hero instead of kissing him and Caroline cheers on the girl. _Women._ Yeah, Klaus knows that feeling too well. Caroline also finds the tension between that two characters quite familiar. Maybe it stems from a different ground, but it's still the same struggle between a duty and a heart. Caroline looks discreetly at Klaus. His face unreadable as always.

_Everything changes with time._ These words echo over and over again in her mind, as if on auto-replay.

Does it, really?

* * *

**Time will say nothing but I told you so,**

**Time only knows the price we have to pay;**

**If I could tell you I would let you know.**

— **W.H. Auden**

* * *

At first Caroline doesn't remember how she got back to their bed. All she remembers is the drowsiness and darkness enveloping her. She must have autopiloted herself to the bedroom. Or... Or Klaus carried her back.

Caroline has to admit: he's got under her skin. This is how attachment works. One day you get used to somebody, next day you can't live without them. Even if Klaus treats her coldly, he's still a part of her life. Sometimes she even thinks he has domesticated her. She wishes she could tame him a little, too. Caroline Forbes catches herself missing the old Klaus Mikaelson. The one that fell for her.

The sheets are deliciously warm and Caroline wants to stay like that forever. All she feels now is the immediate proximity of his body. Inches away. Maybe he won't notice if she cuddles up a bit. Just a tad closer. She shifts and slithers in the bed like a snake, trying not to make any sudden moves. Just a little closer. That's it. Their bodies touch, she feels his skin against hers, she rests her head dreamily on his chest, her hand wanders across his stomach, she snuggles into him with a sly, content smile, proud of her own craftiness, he smells so good she could just—

"Caroline?"

She jumps out of the bed and lands on the floor. Klaus' surprised eyes are examining her, his eyebrows raised.

"I— I had a bad dream." She stutters, waking up from her (day)dream. _What's wrong with me?_

"You were _drooling_."

"I wasn't."

"Yes, you were."

She puts her hand on her chin. Wet and sticky.

"I have to go shopping. I'll be back... when I finish. So, yeah, take Ben and Cas for a walk maybe?" She shoots him a creepy smile and trots away.

God, isn't it awkward.

On her way out she sees Elijah and Ben playing with Cas in the garden. Well, Ben is playing and Elijah is just standing, observing, looking cool in his oh-so-fancy suit and tie. She has to think over his offer, she knows a vampire-free life would be the best option for Ben, but some tiny part of her doesn't want to let him go. Some tiny part of her wants all of them to stay together.

* * *

**The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple.**

— **Oscar Wilde**

* * *

Evening comes and Klaus enters his — their— bedroom after having a birthday drink with Elijah. His brother seems to fall for the story hook, line, and sinker... which only means that he's plotting behind Klaus' back. Since he woke Klaus up from his slumber, Elijah barely contacted his brother. Just the opposite, he was doing everything to cover up his tracks, and so did Kol and Rebekah.

While Klaus ponders over his Original family business, Caroline sneaks into the room and waits.

"Um. Klaus." She whispers making him jump around to face her. Whoa, someone's tense today. Her shy eyes meet his surprised ones, and he notices that Caroline is holding something behind her back. Of course, he also notices the lovely red summer dress she's wearing, and he's well aware of his body heating up. _Damn you, girl._

He wakes up from the daze and raises an eyebrow in a questioning gesture. The blonde takes a few steps forward and decides to invade his personal space, because... because after everything they've been through there's no need for personal space between them, not really. Standing in front of him, Caroline pulls something from behind his back. An A4 sketchbook. With a leather cover.

"Happy birthday." She gives him an uneasy smile. "I thought you missed sketching so... yeah." Her hands are slightly trembling. Because Klaus doesn't say anything — he just keeps looking at her with his mouth open— she continues.

"You know, I kept the drawing you gave me at the ball — that one with a horse— but I guess it got lost during the move, I couldn't find it in the boxes I packed, so... Again, happy birthday." _He's so close._

Klaus is still standing like a statue, holding the sketchbook, looking at her with a mysterious expression. Caroline can't guess whether he's pleased, angry, stunned, or all of the above mixed up. Eventually, she sighs and shrugs, and then turns to leave the bedroom. She's about to open the door when she hears Klaus say,

"It wasn't about the hybrids."

Caroline freezes.

She blinks twice.

She turns around and stares at him, speechless.

"It was about you. Always."

She gulps. "What— "

"I'm talking about New York. I never cared about the doppelganger gene and the hybrids. I was mad at _you_ because you _lied_ to me." His clear blue eyes are fixed on hers. She feels disarmed.

"I was mad at you because you always thought low of me. Even when I thought that you finally accepted me, you were still making assumptions." His eyes are... sad. Defeated, tired, sad.

"So why did you threaten to take Ben away from me? Why did you say all those things...?" She stutters, her voice quivering. Caroline sees that this hurts him, too. His jaw tightens, his fists clench.

"I was angry. I wanted to punish you." He chokes out. Caroline feel her heart racing. "I made my intentions clear, but you didn't trust me anyway."

"Can you really blame me for that, Klaus?" Her tone is soft. Not hurt, not spiteful. Soft.

He's silent. Only his face reveals the internal battle taking place in his mind. She knows it's not an apology, Klaus doesn't apologize for his misdeeds. It's just a statement. An explanation. In his case it's enough. Caroline studies his features. He's tense. Nervous even. He doesn't avoid her gaze — he looks straight into her peaceful eyes.

She approaches him slowly, tentatively, taking her time, staring at him calmly. She points at the sketchbook he's still keeping in his hands.

"Sketch me, will you?"

He's totally bewildered. "Now?"

"Yes."

And he does.

But before he sketches her, his lips collide with hers, and she welcomes him with a small smile still playing in the corner of her mouth. He pulls her closer, pressing her against his chest. He's kissing her fervently, passionately, yearning for her touch. And she kisses him back eagerly, _oh yes she does_. When he moves to kiss her neck, Caroline's stomach does a few somersaults. Everything is happening so fast. His lustful kisses and his breath on her neck are driving her crazy.

''Always. About. You.''

Her dress falls to the floor. So does his t-shirt. So do his pants.

Before he sketches her he makes love to her, he makes her moan and writhe in sweet agony under him.

Before he sketches her beautiful face he makes her cheeks heat up with _oh, yes, yes, now, more. _

Before he sketches her he pays tribute to her breathtaking body, he ardently worships her breasts, and sensually praises her thighs with his tongue.

Before he sketches her, he's inside her, pounding hard and thrusting on and on, panting heavily until she unravels and whimpers under his weight, until he collapses down on her, his head still buried in the crook of her neck, her hands tangled up in his hair.

He sketches her naked, exhausted, and flushed with all the bliss he brought her.

She smiles.

* * *

**here's a drink **

**to your bones **

**that **

**this dog **

**still **

**dreams about. **

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

After Klaus falls asleep, Caroline slips out of the bed and gets dressed, moving silently not to wake him up. She tiptoes to another room and knocks gently on the door. She can see the light coming from the room, he's not sleeping. Good.

"Please, come in." She hears Elijah's voice. The blonde enters his bedroom to find Elijah sprawled in an armchair, reading a book.

The Original studies Caroline's face — he has never seen her so serious before.

She clears her throat. "We need to talk."


	10. The tigers have found me

**A/N: **This is the last chapter. But... maybe it's not the end. ;) An important note awaits you at the very bottom.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**The tigers have found me**

* * *

**what you were **

**will not happen again.**

**the tigers have found me**

**and I do not care. **

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Klaus wakes up with the other side of the bed empty and cold. He instantly knows something's wrong, and he's up on his feet in a second. Wandering around the dark and gloomy corridors of the house he finally hears a voice. He sneaks up to Elijah's bedroom door and listens.

_Caroline_? It's Caroline. What is she doing in Elijah's room? Klaus concentrates on her voice.

"I can't accept you offer, Elijah." _What offer? _

"And why is that?" Klaus recognizes his brother's patronizing tone.

"I was there when Ben learned how to walk. I taught him how to read. I remember his first day at school. I was there for him when he failed his first test, and I was cheering on him when he started to play soccer." Caroline sighs.

"I want to be there for him when he goes on his first date. I want to see him finish high school and go to college. I know that you think I am guided by selfish motives, and maybe I am, but I will not let him go. He's my son."

There's a long pause on Elijah's part and Klaus is about to burst into the room and kick his ass, when he hears his brother ask,

"Why do you trust my brother, Caroline?" _Good question, Elijah. Does she?_

Caroline hesitates, but she regains her composure soon enough.

"Because he trusted me. I owe him the same. I just can't fail him again."

"You are risking Ben's _life!_'' The Original hisses through the gritted teeth. He's getting more and more tense, Klaus can sense it even through the closed door.

"You don't understand, Elijah." Caroline's tone changes a little, too. "It feels like Ben... _chose_ him. He likes Stefan and Damon, he used to like Tyler, he even likes you, but he never looked at any of you this way. Yet, the very moment he met Klaus in that park in New York he treated him like a father figure. I can't explain it."

Something moves, Klaus hears it. Elijah has probably just got up from his comfy armchair, and the footsteps echoing through the room indicate he approaches Caroline. Slowly. Like a predator he truly is deep down his moral, duty-bound heart.

"You are making a terrible mistake."

"I would make one if I let you take him away from me —from us— to make him lead a fake, compulsion-induced life. So, if convincing me to give up on Ben was your only goal, then please leave my house as soon as you can."

Klaus lets out a breath he's been holding all this time. She trusts him. She wants them together as a family. He's shocked, incapable of thinking straight, but he has to come to his senses quickly because the bitter realization dawns on him — Caroline's in trouble.

"I think there must have been some misunderstanding, Caroline." Elijah says in a dry, low, hoarse voice. "I wasn't asking for your permission to save the boy, I asked your allegiance. You are clearly not my ally, which makes you... my enemy."

"Don't you dare—"

The door bursts open with a loud bang. Caroline turns her head, and her eyes widen in shock at the sight of fuming, furious Klaus standing there.

"Enough!" He growls. "Leave, Ellijah, before I break your neck and drop your body into the ocean."

"Here comes the number one dad. I just wonder, dear brother, when will the old controlling you start to abuse your new family?" Elijah approaches Klaus step by step with an ironic expression.

"I'll keep them safe and happy."

"Oh, I have no doubt you will. Like you kept us — in the coffins." He mocks Klaus.

"Elijah, my patience is wearing thin." Klaus' face is so tense it looks like a rock.

His brother stands right in front of Klaus, his lips pressed into a thin line, his nostrils flare. "Mine is long gone."

Then he punches the hybrid so hard Klaus lands on the ground a few meters away, but he's up in a second and launches at Elijah with an angry shout. They fall to the floor and roll around, punching and kicking each other. Caroline gasps when Klaus ends up on top of his brother and is about to break his neck when—

"There. Are. Others." Elijah chokes out.

"What?" Caroline finds it difficult to breathe. Klaus examines Elijah's face.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Elijah spits. "Stefan Salvatore called me. Both brothers are after you. In fact, Stefan had to lock Damon in the basement to keep him from coming here on his own to face a certain death. Even Katerina, yes, suddenly she's all in for protecting her great-great-grandson." The stunned faces of Caroline and Klaus amuse Elijah infinitely.

"You didn't expect such an army, did you? Oh, and Kol is still mad at you for breaking his neck _twice_ when he took the boy."

Klaus is panting heavily, looking down at his brother, feeling speechless. Then his eyes turn bright yellow, his double fangs protrude, and he bits down on Elijah's neck, making him scream in agony, then throws Elijah against the wall. The Original flies across the room and slides down the wall after hitting it with a terrible thud. Caroline could swear she's just heard bones crack and crash.

Klaus looks like a monster from everyone's worst nightmare, with his eyes shining in the dim light of the room, with blood dripping down his chin, with mouth half-open revealing his knife-sharp fangs.

"Klaus—" It sends shivers down Caroline's spine. She almost forgot what he really is. Now she sees it, and it fills her with utter, complete, limitless horror. She backs to the wall and presses herself so hard against it she's sure there will be a hole left. He looks at her, his eyes empty and hungry. _No, it can't be, he can't lose control just like that_, Caroline's mind is racing faster than her heart. Klaus growls and walks slowly up to her. He smells rage mixed with blood. It's a bad, _bad_ combination.

"Please." She whimpers when he buries his nose in her hair breathing heavily. But when his face is again in front of hers, their noses touching, the monster is gone. She sees his apologetic, wistful eyes. Her hand lands gently on his cheek, caressing it.

Then the wood creaks.

"Care?" They hear a child's voice coming from the door. Their eyes dart to the side, and there he is. Ben's standing in the doorway, with a frightened look on his face, staring at Klaus — poor kid is frozen with terror. "C-Caroline?"

* * *

**it's been a tough fight worth fighting**

**as we all drive along**

**betting on another day. **

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

Klaus takes care of Elijah's limp body before his brother wakes up, while Caroline takes scared Ben to his bedroom.

It's your decision, Klaus tells her. She has to decide whether to tell her son the truth, or to compel him to forget, at least for now.

It's one of the hardest decisions she's ever had to make. She wants him to know, but it's not a good time. She wants him to have a relatively normal childhood before the vampire world inevitably absorbs him again. Caroline remembers how Jeremy struggled with the whole vamp drama as a teenager. It ruined him.

On the other hand, she hates compulsion. She remembers how it hurt her to get her memories back. How deceived she felt. How angry it made her.

She hopes that one day she'll look into Ben's eyes and confess to all the upbringing crimes she committed. She'll beg his forgiveness. But as for now, he deserves better that a pair of fangs haunting him in his dreams.

* * *

**There are no fortunes to be told, although,**

**Because I love you more than I can say,**

**If I could tell you I would let you know.**

— **W. H. Auden**

* * *

Elijah wakes up suddenly choking, trying to steady his breathing. The beach. Sand. He is lying on the beach, he sees water coming to the shore. His head is still spinning, his suit is torn, his hair out of place.

"It took you more time than I thought. Are you getting old, brother?" It's Klaus. He sits next to him like nothing happened.

"Niklaus." Elijah hisses.

"Easy, brother." Klaus smirks and takes something out of the pocket of his jacket. A dagger. "I still can put you to sleep."

Elijah frowns. "Why didn't you do it earlier then?"

"Because I need you to send a message. You will contact the Salvatores, Katherine, and whoever else has evil designs against me and my family, and tell them —order them— to abandon their plans."

That makes Klaus' brother chuckle. "And, pray tell, why should I do this?"

"Because if they come for me, I will rip them apart, tear out their insides, and then feed them to the sharks." Klaus is definitely not joking. After so many years spent together Elijah feels his brother is dead serious about this whole new family thing. It's impressing, though. Klaus is supposed to have no feelings left. Still, he seems to care so much about the girl and that boy. Elijah finds it highly confusing.

"Do you think Caroline would let you kill her friends?"

"I will do whatever I deem necessary to keep her and the boy safe. Nothing else really matters to me." Klaus gets up, so does Elijah. They face each other, both keeping their hands in the pockets.

"Are you _that_ power-hungry, Niklaus?" Elijah's questioning stare drills into Klaus.

"It's not power I am after, brother."

Klaus turns away and starts to walk towards his house. Elijah's eyes follow him. He seems different. Not totally, of course, but there's a different kind of longing in his eyes now. He used to seek power, that greedy bastard. But now... it's something else. It puzzles Elijah so much he still stands —like in trance, utterly dumbfounded— on the beach even when Klaus' shadow is finally out of sight.

* * *

**I want to**

**let her know **

**though **

**that all the nights**

**sleeping**

**beside her**

**even the useless**

**arguments**

**were things**

**ever splendid**

**and the hard **

**words**

**I ever feared to **

**say **

**can now be **

**said:**

**I love**

**you.**

— **Charles Bukowski**

* * *

It is 2 am when Klaus finds Caroline —still in her pajamas— sitting on the swing in the garden. The cool air kisses her pale, delicate skin. Her head hangs low, her feet shuffle absently from one side to another. She's exhausted physically and, more importantly, she's emotionally drained. Klaus has to admit, he is tired too. For the first time since they met he's so tired he just wants to lie down and close his eyes.

Still, he sits down on the swing next to her and takes her right hand in his left one. The night is silent and peaceful, the stars shine and wink, scattered on the jet black sky. The sea murmurs something quietly bringing them a gently, refreshing breeze.

"Thank you for letting me decide." She whispers.

"Just so you know, I was prepared to tell him the truth. I'm not afraid." Klaus admits, his eyes fixed on a remote point somewhere above the horizon. "One day we'll tell him everything, Caroline. No more secrets."

"But he's too young, Klaus. I just... couldn't do this to him now." Caroline's voice is trembling which makes Klaus look at her with concern.

"I know, I know. Shhh, it's okay." His hand reassuringly rubs her arm. Then he reaches to his pocket and takes out a piece of paper. Caroline looks at him surprised.

It's the drawing she thought she'd lost.

She gasps. "How did you find it?"

He grimaces, slightly ashamed. "I stole it from your apartment when we were packing." Yeah, he remembers, he was so angry that day he wanted to tear it to shreds.

"Oh." She starts to fiddle nervously with her wedding ring. Klaus notices it and sighs.

"You don't have to wear the ring if you don't want to. We'll be probably moving out soon anyway since Elijah and the others know about the Hamptons."

Caroline shifts on the swing to look him straight in the eyes. She stares at his troubled face, a face of a monster, but also a face of a father. A face that caused her so much pain, but also it made her incredibly happy. When he's near she's walking on air. He thrills her. What she feels when she's around him burns her and consumes her, and she now understands the thing Elena had for Damon —he made her feel alive.

"I think I'll keep it on." The blonde smiles at him shyly and sees his surprised eyes. Klaus Mikaelson looks frankly amazed with his jaw dropped. She wants to tell him she likes to be Mrs. Mikaelson, but she doesn't get the opportunity to do so.

Her back hits the grass. His body falls down on hers, pinning her to the ground. His soft, luscious lips meet hers planting a mind-blowing kiss on them, deepening it a second later with his tongue. She returns it with so much passion he gasps for air breaking the kiss for a moment, he looks down at her with his eyes hungry and lustful, then he dives into her hair, stroking it, pulling it, nibbling at her earlobe while her hands wander around his back, her nails digging in his shoulder blades. He's fervently kissing her collarbones, making her moan under the starry sky.

Maybe one day they will have to face each other as enemies again.

Maybe one day she will have to make another heart-breaking choice.

Or, maybe she's just made the best decision in her whole life. Who knows what the future holds.

But right now, late at night, right there with the stars falling down, he's kissing her like a madman, driving her crazy—

—and she loves every second of it.

* * *

**Love each other or perish.**

— **W. H. Auden**

* * *

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**THE END**

**(OF NOT THE END?**

**THAT IS THE QUESTION!)**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Long and boring A/N: If it's the end, why the story doesn't have the 'complete' status?**

I left some matters unsolved just in case I want to add some chapters as a sequel - Klaroline of course, but including also Rebekah (Catherina1996 would be happy I suppose;) ), Kol, and maybe a Salvatore or two... It could take place a few years later when Ben is older.

But I need some time to think it over, refine the plot etc. I'm not 100 per cent sure yet, the original plot ends here.

**.**

I'm glad some of you liked the poems. To be honest, I _hate_ poetry, but Bukowski and Auden belong to the group of very few poets I totally admire.

**Thank you, my Dear Readers, for the journey you let me take you on.** It's been a pleasure to read all your reviews, you made me smile so many times I can't even count. :) It's the best part of writing anything!

Bully/bite/talk to/find me on tumblr if you want to! (I dare you?)

*makes a clumsy bow*


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